SMA Outpatient - Ocala

"Took my elementary age son here due to an almost baker act incident. Did a “pre visit evaluation “ and was told first therapy appt would be in 2 weeks and scheduled date and time. said date and time came and no one provided a link for virtual so I called in and they said no appointment had been scheduled. So rescheduled for 1 month out as that was first available for after school appointment. That day came and still no notification. Called in and again, NO APPOINTMENT SCHEDULED. next available appointment is another month out! What is wrong with this place?"

"The cherry on top of everything I’ve experienced at this place was when they stopped taking my father’s insurance and didn’t even inform him, when it’s required by law to at least tell him that before charging him $500 for an appointment. I’d go on but I’m keeping this as short as I can, as I’d be sat here for a while because I’ve dealt with mental health issues from a very young age and been in and out of here a lot."

"Not a great place, but better than others (like North Tampa Behavioral Hospital). My daughter was given her meds daily without overdosing her, she could color or read to pass the time, and they actually answer their phones. I used to think this was a terrible place but after dealing with North Tampa, I'm more grateful for SMA. They're more clinical and less humanistic in therapy approach, and I personally think they focus too much on treating the symptoms instead of trying to find the root. But, that could be a difference in methods of choice. The staff is generally friendly or at least polite. I'm sure there are better places, but you know what, at least they don't unlawfully hold you in a Baker Act for over a week."

"I called when I got off work around 3 am and it was very late so I wasn’t sure I’d even get to talk to somebody but I was on hold for only about 2 minutes before I was speaking to somebody. Dana helped me and she was so great! I’m having one of the worst times of my life due to a family member not taking their medication and she stayed on the phone with me for almost an hour. She helped me when I was crying and told me the steps I could take to get my family member the help they need. She found the exact form I needed and was very patient in walking me through the process to find the pdf and which form I needed, and told me exactly where to take the form and how to do everything so the whole process of baker acting a loved one wasn’t so stressful and wasn’t a long process.. I pray I never have to use this hotline again but if I ever do, I hope I get Dana.. If you see this thank you so much Dana you’re truly a life saver❤️"

"I’m a labor and delivery nurse so I work closely with mothers experiences mental health issues and I base my career on trauma informed care. This place is a testimonial to the inadequate state of mental health care. My husband came here shortly after our daughter was born. He was diagnosed with bipolar, ADHD and PTSD. He was prescribed a medication with multiple refills. He was inconsistent and took a lower dose which worked for him since an appointment to have the dose adjusted was far out. The medication lasted longer than they anticipated. When he called to have a yearly appointment and get a new script they want to do a new patient appointment in 3 months! On top of that I called to see if there was any help or assistance they could offer to someone who depends on their prescriptions to live a normal and healthy life. No, aside from making an appointment 3 months from whole whole being off meds cold-turkey. When I mentioned how unsafe that is the office manager offered for my husband to call and get on the cancellation list. When he called back “there is no such thing as a cancellation list.” Now we’re being lied to. Don’t risk completely mismanaged care with no teaching about how to properly take your medication. This is not a place you want to trust with something as important as your mental health. They don’t CARE about you. They just want money from your insurance. Picture added for pure humor."