Health News March 4, 2022

Mental health experts tell us they’ve seen a sharp rise in demand for services. According to Fox 4, the Collier county branch of The national association of mental illness said it’s seen calls for services triple in the past two years. Because of this sharp increase, the David Lawrence Centers for behavioral health is adding 15 beds to its crisis unit in Collier county, which currently has 30 crisis beds at its main campus. The crisis unit has beds for people who are considered a danger to themselves and others. Officials from the center say the demand is so high, that they’re expecting to build a $25 million facility, tripling its capacity.

If you have type-O blood, local blood banks hope you’ll consider donating. Officials with the NCH Community Blood Center say they are in “acute” need of positive and negative Type-O blood. The Healthcare system says there’s a sudden increase in usage by patients in the area, which persists nationally, too. Officials said local donors are vital to boost community blood supplies. The Community blood center operates a bloodmobile. You can visit givebloodcbc.org for more information about how to donate.

El Rev. Gary y Christine La Croix, y Scripps Howard Foundation brindan apoyo para las Noticias de WGCU en Español.