Jacksonville, FL (April 12, 2022) –Council Member Danny Becton, on this day, visited and received a tour of the Steven A Cohen Military Family Clinic at Centerstone, located at 7011 A. C. Skinner Parkway. The clinic, which opened in 2020, is one of 16 clinics in the nation that specializes in mental health care for military veterans, active-duty personnel, and their families and is the first in the Jacksonville area.
The Steven A Cohen Military Family Clinic was born out of Mr. Cohen’s desire to do more for the military and veteran community. His son, having served in Afghanistan, came back to a very strong support system. Mr. Cohen realized that not every active duty servicemember or veteran had the level of access that his son did. It was with a $275 million dollar donation that the idea for a clinic to help fill this gap was born. The first clinic was opened in Clarksville, TN through a partnership with Cornerstone and has since expanded to 16 locations throughout the United States. Eighty percent of those who walk through their doors are veterans looking for help, with the remaining 20 percent made up of families of veterans, families of active-duty personnel, and active-duty personnel themselves.
Lisa Eggenbeen, Regional Director of the clinic, stated that, “in addition to mental health services, the clinic also offers their services to help build groups within the veteran community that both veterans and military personnel can take advantage of. Further, we partner with area organizations such as K9s for Warriors, the Wounded Warrior Project, and other veteran organizations to being a resource for them. If they have a client that needs our assistance, they will send them our way.”
Council Member Becton asked the question of whether a client can go from one clinic to another in the network and still get the same exact care as at the previous clinic. Ms. Eggenbeen stated that each of the 16 clinics also operate together as one unified group. “All our clinics share a database with each other, allowing a client to pick up from one location and carry on at the same point of their treatment at another one of our locations.” Ms. Eggenbeen continued, “This is especially important for active-duty personnel who may worry their progress may get lost and they would have to start over again; that is not the case with our clinics. Further, to help assist in a smooth transition, all our clinics’ appearances, both inside and outside, look the same,” Ms. Eggenbeen concluded.
“Within District 11, we have some incredible resources for our community that go unnoticed and unrealized to provide services to those that need it.” Council Member Becton acknowledged. “The Steven A Cohen Military Family Clinic is one of those assets”, Becton added. “The services that they provide to our veterans is invaluable to supporting mental health needs and allowing those who need it to get treatment, all without concern for the financial impact to their households.” Becton explained. “Sometimes, it’s the active duty member or veteran themselves, and other times it’s the family members that support the active duty member or veteran who are in need of assistance”, Becton continued. “If anyone out there knows a friend, colleague, or family member that is struggling as a veteran or veteran family member and needs this type of assistance, please reach out to the Steven A Cohen Military Family Clinic for more information”, Becton concluded.
For information on the mission of the Steven A Cohen Military Family Clinc, please visit:
