It s really important for people to have a conversation with a friend or someone they trust who has already gotten the vaccine, she said. It s also really important for us to know it s valid to have concerns, questions and worries about this.
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Always be curious. Nuttall said it s best to ask people questions about how they feel toward the COVID-19 vaccines to figure out what concerns or issues they may have. These can range from worries about allergies and side effects to getting time off from work to receive the vaccine. Do not share your opinion before you understand what their concerns are, she said.
Florida has opened the floodgates, allowing all adults who wanted access to a COVID-19 vaccine to seek out a shot, but the number of individuals signing up in Polk County is at a record low.
On average, less than 400 people per day signed up over the past week to receive a COVID shot through Polk s online registration portal at register.polk.health. Roughly 18% of the county s population has been fully vaccinated during the four months since vaccination became available.
Lakeland Regional Health s doctors and physicians have some clues about residents vaccine skepticism, but are often left baffled. Dr. Timothy Regan, LRH s chief medical officer and president of the medical center, said more than 50% of patients won t share their reasons for not getting vaccinated.
Lakeland Regional Health is seeing an uptick in the number of people seeking behavioral health services, according to Nuttall, but also at a greater severity and intensity than before. Nuttall said it might be caused by what she called the wearing effect. It s just the complexity of . daily life stresses that would have been hard have now been magnified, she said.
Prior to the pandemic, approximately one in five adults, or 20%, could have benefited from seeking behavioral health services such as speaking with a counselor, Nuttall said. She said more recent studies suggest it s closer to one in three adults during the pandemic.
The pandemic has highlighted the need for Lakeland Regional to expand mental health services, according to Alice Nuttall, LRH s associate vice president for mental health services.
Nuttall said it was estimated that one in five, or 20%, of adults could have benefited from some form of behavioral health services prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. More recent studies say it s become one in three since the pandemic, she said.
The new behavioral health center, designed by Orlando-based HuntonBrady Architects, incorporates the healing properties of natural light and the environment. It will consist of three freestanding, single-story buildings with landscaped courtyards between the buildings.
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