Effingham health system is bringing behavioral health care to their patients dealing with mental illness, who otherwise would have to leave the county for care. "Having to travel outside of the community or the county, I could see that being a deterrent,” said Dr. Fran Witt, the president and CEO of Effingham Health System. The new out-patient facility is down the road from the hospital. They're offering several different types of counseling, partnering with Curtis V. Cooper Primary Health Care. Dr. Witt tells News 3, there's also a focus on prevention, with medication management and counseling for those facing chronic illnesses. "In rural communities you see a high prevalence rate of mental health illnesses along with substance abuse - issues that also contribute to mental health illnesses,” said Dr. Witt. She says they've seen an increase in patients over the years with the potential of harming themselves or others, saying the time for a facility like this is past due. She says now they're seeing more of those same at-risk patients come in that are under the age of 11. "That's scary,” said Dr. Witt. “This is a real problem not only in the community that we serve but across the nation." She contributes the growing number of pediatric mental illness to social media. Their new facility will treat both children and adults. "These devices have created that gap in our society and it's certainly impacting how we communicate with one another and how we interact with one another,” said Dr. Witt. Dr. Witt says Georgia is ranked 49th in the country when it comes to access to mental healthcare - and one out of every five adults is diagnosed with a mental illness. Appointments can be made by calling the number listed on their website. A care expert will direct the caller to whatever services they may need. Hundreds attend Soul to Sole Breast Cancer Awareness Walk and 5K