Normalizing Mental Health Support: Why Urgent Care Isn’t Just for Broken Bones

When you twist an ankle, catch the flu or wake up with a severe earache, you probably don’t hesitate to stop by urgent care. It’s fast, it’s accessible and it helps you get back on your feet quickly.

So why should it be any different for mental health?

For too long, seeking help for anxiety, depression, substance use or other mental health concerns has carried unnecessary stigma. Many people still feel they should “tough it out” or wait until their struggles become overwhelming. Health is health, and just like we normalize urgent care for a sudden fever, we can normalize urgent care for a sudden wave of despair, panic or craving.

That is the idea behind Willowbrooke Urgent Care for Mental Health and Substance Use at Willowbrooke at Tanner in Villa Rica, the first service of its kind in the region.

A first-of-its-kind resource in west Georgia

Located at 20 Herrell Road, Suite 1, Villa Rica, GA 30180, the new urgent care provides walk-in help, seven days a week. No appointment. No waitlist. No stigma.

My colleague, Dr. Kenneth Genova, executive medical director and vice president of Willowbrooke at Tanner, often explains it this way: if you can seek urgent care when your arm hurts or your leg hurts, you should also be able to get care when you are experiencing psychiatric concerns or substance use challenges. Many people don’t know how to navigate all the steps involved in finding the right support, and that’s where our team comes in. After screening each patient, we connect them to the appropriate level of care.

As vice president and administrator of Willowbrooke at Tanner, I often describe this urgent care as an access point to treatment — a starting place for people who may not know where else to turn.

Patients receive a confidential screening to determine next steps, whether that is a brief stabilization, counseling or connection to longer-term therapy. Willowbrooke Urgent Care for Mental Health and Substance Use accepts children, teens, adults and seniors, and treats a broad range of concerns including anxiety, depression, postpartum issues, psychosis and substance use.

Why normalizing matters

We would not tell someone with chest pain to wait three weeks for a doctor’s appointment. We would not shame someone with a broken wrist for seeking care. Mental health deserves that same level of urgency.

Research shows that one of the biggest reasons people do not seek treatment for mental health or substance use is because they don’t have access to care.

By offering walk-in support, Willowbrooke Urgent Care for Mental Health and Substance Use helps shift the narrative. Getting help for your mental health is just as normal as visiting urgent care for a sprain.

A vision born from the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic made this need impossible to ignore. Increased isolation, economic strain and uncertainty pushed mental health to the forefront. Suddenly, the world was talking about anxiety, depression and addiction in ways it had not before.

Leaders at Willowbrooke at Tanner saw an opportunity and a responsibility. If physical urgent care centers could fill the gap for everyday medical needs, then a mental health urgent care could do the same.

As Dr. Genova emphasizes, our goal is to ensure that everyone has access to immediate, compassionate care for their mental well-being. Mental health services should be accessible, timely and tailored to meet the unique needs of each individual because no one should have to face life’s challenges alone.

Making mental health care routine

By treating mental health and substance use with the same urgency and accessibility as physical health, Willowbrooke at Tanner is helping normalize what should have been true all along:

• It is okay to seek help the moment you need it.
• It is okay to walk in without an appointment.
• It is okay to treat your mental health just like your physical health.

Urgent care is about removing barriers. Willowbrooke Urgent Care for Mental Health and Substance Use is proving that when those barriers are lowered, more people get the help they need before a crisis develops.

Quick facts

• Location: 20 Herrell Road, Suite 1, Villa Rica, GA 30180.
• Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Walk-in: No appointment required.
• Phone: 770-812-3266 for more information
• Emergency: For life-threatening situations, call 911. For suicidal thoughts, call 988.

Looking to establish routine mental health or substance use care? Taking the first step toward better mental health starts here. To ensure you receive the highest level of expert, personalized care, all new patients begin with an in-person assessment at Willowbrooke Urgent Care for Mental Health and Substance Use in Villa Rica.

No appointment is necessary — simply walk in to get started. Whether your concern feels urgent or you’re simply ready to talk with someone, Willowbrooke Urgent Care is your starting point for care.

20 Herrell Road, Suite 1
Villa Rica, GA 30180

Following your initial assessment, ongoing services may be scheduled in Villa Rica, Carrollton or via telehealth.

Learn more at WillowbrookeUrgentCare.org.

At Willowbrooke at Tanner, we provide a variety of inpatient and outpatient care services that support the whole person. Our team is here to help you explore these connections in a supportive, meaningful way. For information about any of our services, call 770-812-3266 or visit WillowbrookeAtTanner.org.