Elite DNA Therapy Services is opening seven new locations and expanding virtual care to help address the shortage of mental health services in Florida.
The Sunshine State ranks 12th in prevalence of mental illness but ranks 48th in the nation for access to mental health care, according to Mental Health America.
Currently, Elite DNA receives more than 1,500 calls and sees nearly 1,000 clients a day.
“Bringing much needed services to new areas and introducing mental health services as a right, not a privilege, has been our compass, our mission and our guiding light,” Founder and CEO Elizabeth Dosoretz said. “It should not be a cumbersome, complicated or fragmented system that is impossible for them to navigate.”
The newest office opens next week in Sarasota, and follows recent openings in Weston, Westchase and Wesley Chapel. A Bradenton location opens next month and offices in Orange Park and Orlando are expected to open this summer. These new locations will give Elite DNA nearly 20 offices across the state.
“We aren’t just talking about access to high quality services, we’re creating it,” said Philip Cirrone, M.S,
Chief Operating Officer for Elite DNA Therapy Services, which provides psychiatry and psychotherapy services as well as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation treatment for severe depression.
Elite DNA has expanded its virtual care services so video appointments can be done anywhere, eliminating travel time and any transportation obstacles.
During much of 2020, Elite DNA made virtual appointments available immediately. People could enter a waiting room on the website to see someone right away.
The Covid-19 pandemic put even greater stress on mental health services. In 2020, 37 percent of Florida adults reported suffering from depression or anxiety, according to a Census Bureau survey.
With patients feeling more isolated and anxious, Elite DNA professionals realized they needed to provide a safe, familiar place to get Covid-19 vaccines. The organization became approved with Florida Shots and continues to offer the vaccine to patients.
Founded in 2013, Elite DNA Therapy Services started with offices in Fort Myers and quickly grew to include locations in Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres, Loxahatchee, Naples, Port Charlotte, Jacksonville, Brandon, Brooksville, Venice and Inverness.
For more information about Elite DNA Therapy Services, visit the website at EliteDNA.us or call 239-223-2751.