This is so needed!
Dr. Joanne Patterson is a psychiatric nurse practitioner and the owner of Dr. Joanne Psychiatry, a therapeutic services company that seeks to improve the community’s access to “culturally appropriate integrative psychiatric treatment.” Patterson got her start as an OB nurse, coming to grips with the harsh effect of postpartum on women’s mental health.
“I realized that there were a lot of women – postpartum, that were not going to get the treatment that they needed. You could tell that postpartum depression, all of those things were sort of evolving, and there wasn’t really anyone to refer them to. So, I sought out to become a mental health professional specifically so I can focus on reproductive mental health,” Patterson previously told reporters at Atlanta News First.
The result was the creation of a tiny mental health clinic, the first mobile psychiatric clinic in Georgia. The tiny clinic is 22 feet long, 8.5 feet wide, and 13.5 feet high. Patterson takes the clinic to various areas of Gwinnett and DeKalb Counties in Georgia, offering women and children personalized care directly in their communities. It was a service that Patterson felt was increasingly necessary in the Atlanta area.
“The idea came from me wanting to make sure that there was accessible and comfortable mental health care for the women and children in Metro Atlanta. Oftentimes we hear about mental health treatment, but people don’t seek the treatment, simply because the environment is a little scary and there is a stigma and the perception of mental health is in a negative light,” explained Patterson.
It was an issue that continued to present itself during the COVID-19 pandemic when Patterson first launched the clinic. In addition to bringing the clinic to underserved communities, those in rural areas or not directly on bus routes, she also takes the tiny clinic to schools where mothers can log into the sessions virtually so they don’t have to worry about taking off to have their children seen.
For Patterson, it’s all about getting people the help they need and eliminating barriers and stereotypes to receiving mental health care. She currently offers shared group care, biofeedback therapy, psychiatric evaluations, and medication management. Patterson said she wants people to know that it’s okay to receive care because she plans to meet them where they are.
“It is okay to seek mental health treatment. It is not as scary as it seems.
To request that Patterson’s “Nurse Practitioners On Wheels” clinic visit your space, visit her website at www.drjoannepsychiatrynp.com.
Cover photo: Meet Dr. Joanne Patterson, Nurse Behind First Mobile Psychiatric Clinic in the State of Georgia/Photo Credit: Dr. Joanne Psychiatry