SMA Outpatient – Ocala

I was sent here involuntarily 7 times between the ages of 12-15 back in 2014-2017. I was sexually abused by the staff here every time. I was also sexually assaulted by one of my roommates, and was told it didn’t matter… and that I probably liked it because I am bi and the sexual assault was done by a girl. I was only 12 when this happened.

I don’t recommend this place AT ALL. My boyfriend recently had an extremely upsetting experience at SMA Healthcare in Ocala. Instead of feeling like he was being treated with compassion and respect during a difficult… time, he felt ignored and mistreated. The staff’s attitude made an already stressful situation even worse. What was most disturbing was hearing multiple staff members physically hold him down. While I understand that restraint may sometimes be necessary for safety, the way it was handled seemed excessive and traumatic from what he described. He left feeling scared, humiliated, and unheard rather than supported. Mental health facilities should make patients feel safe, respected, and cared for. Based on his experience, this facility failed to provide that. I sincerely hope SMA Healthcare takes concerns like this seriously, reviews how situations are handled, and works to ensure future patients are treated with dignity and compassion.

If it was possible to give less than one star I would. This facility and its providers are ridiculously unprofessional. My 16yo was baker acted and released less than 48 hours later. During our follow up we were told… that a psych evaluation would just be a prescription hunt for medication and no diagnosis process would be done. And the counselor was focused more about legal advice (that was not asked for) than medical treatment. Constantly interrupted while asking questions. When asking for guidance on finding a facility to better fit my son's needs I was told to "just Google it" will never trust them with care of a loved one again.

I just want to make a shout out for dog at new seasons who make sure the place is always safe and clean and he's always courteous and extremely helpful. Then I know inside Tim is running the place like a wheel. And… Melanie's always comfort as a counselor and Julio. Pleasure to see also kind and helpful Lquren has a great group as well so Melanie and Julio try them. They help me after4 plus clean i still need help but they don't make me feel ashamed But Doug is huge part of the place he does so much and kind. Wanted to mention the place is xtra safe with him. Always cleaning too.Take pride and doesn't make you feel like a bother. You are not abother to anyone. Help you helyourself Ty all at New Season ocala

You freeze to death because they keep it so cold, and I believe they do it on purpose you lay on a jail mattress and I have heard the staff talking to other patients with such foul language, I was just there and I had a… very large man try to fight me and an18-year-old young kid and which The supervisor was standing there with his arms out as if he could stop The employee named deonte...the supervisor that night of this place is horrible It is no different than a county jail and the staff are extremely unprofessional they curse at patients they provoke fights with patients and something needs to be done

Adult daughter went willingly, took meds, but refuse injections. Due to medical conditions we check all meds & said no. * They took her to court to take the mpoa away from me to give to a stranger who does not know her… medical history. Not once but 2 x. * Gave injections after * dr even argued she did not have side effects I witnessed. *said med will not effect hyperthyroidism it can change t3 *Refused Pharmengentic pgx testing * NO Visitors allowed * NO privacy where other male patient walked in on her. Same patient stepped purposely on her. {Posting because if they do this to her, they can anyone!!! They told my husband I was argumentative because just didn't agree with the dr who argued with me over her TD. Save your family the pain in regards to the psych unit the have. Do out patient or not at all. ☆People need to heal from their trauma and not have Dr. cause furthur harm. I have read several of the reviews Common thread of poor client treatment is true. ♡♡♡ Making informed health decisions should include people's health conditions and not be ignored... ♡♡♡ Trash was there 2 days in a row. My daughter stated place very unclean. Food is rough especially if have dietary needs.

I went voluntarily to detox here. When I called I asked if it was their old detox unit which was nice and you were treated decent. When I got there that was not the case. Their detox is part of the mental health bldg… because the old one is under construction. I stayed for 2 days. That was all I could take. It was like jail. Nasty, uncaring staff, absolutely nothing to do. Very fast tapper of benzos. That's not how you even tapper off . It can be very dangerous. Went home called beacon point, they took me but Dr said he would not put on a tapper. Stayed there 3 days . Went home and on the 10th day I started having withdrawal. Nobody would help. Went to ER and they treat you like you worse when they see you have a history of addiction. There doesn't seem to be any concern for people anymore. Most everyone is rude. Try to go anywhere but SMA. Prayers for anyone going through detox and mental health.

I hate this place. don’t go here. I been sent here twice, second time was false accusations. don’t go here. I won’t talk about how they don’t care if you have dietary restrictions, I can’t eat gluten and dairy and was… doing it so they wouldn’t keep me longer and say I was starving myself. I was sick the entire holding. They wouldn’t give me cold medicine when I was sick. 0 drug history or use btw lmao. 🤣 They tried to force me back on meds I said did bad things to me like gain 65lbs. proof is in my medical profile, from the scale??? Wouldn’t let me leave because as my medical right as a human I refused these meds??? they got cockroaches. All in all it’s so sad how mental health patients are treated. I been here twice and it’s worse than the last time. The staff is all young and immature and could care less. I asked for new sheets I bled on due to my cycle, none were given.

My friend asked me to write this on her behalf as she is not able to at the moment. She has been treated horribly here. What bothers her, her loved ones, and I the most is the fact they wouldn’t let us visit her. They… said they are “under construction” which seems convenient being that when she was there in the past they said the same BS. My poor friend has been stuck there and it seems like no one can get adequate information about what is going on with her. We are worried sick. They only allow FIVE minutes for phone calls. I’m sick of people with mental illness being treated like they’ve committed some kind of wrong just because they need help. This attitude needs to change. Ocala needs better facilities for people being treated for mental illness. If you’re thinking of sending someone to this godforsaken place, take a trip to UF Health- you’ll be treated at least somewhat better.

The BNET program is an extraordinary blessing. My daughter has been part of it for a year, and thanks to Dr. Adkinson, therapist Patricia, and Wendy Conley, the Behavioral Health Network Manager, who work effortlessly… as a team in her best interest, her progress has been exceptional. This program is outstanding, and I am immensely grateful for its existence. You have a profound positive impact on children and families. Your help, dedication, and hard work genuinely transform lives. The financial assistance provided by the program is invaluable; without it, my daughter would not be able to access the support she needs. I pray that your program continues to be available to serve the lives of our children, who are the future of this fantastic country, the USA.

Horrible staff. Tried to get my autistic daughter assistance and the intake officer was an absolute nightmare. She was smug and cruel. Refused my daughter treatment when she needed it the most. Even said that Florida… has horrible services and that New York would be better, as if I could go to New York. When I was trying to explain my daughter’s situation she basically acted like she didn’t care. Tried to make it seem like I was lying and when I offered her physical evidence she said no. I will never come back here for help and will be reporting them for this. I wasn’t allowed to speak to anyone else about my daughter’s issues. She basically tried to escort me out when I was completely calm the whole time. I was just in tears from the concern for my daughter. But she just acted like a snob with no compassion.

They need better manamemt

Dynasty Ortega is the best! She was kind, gentle hearted, and nurturing when it came to my children. One of the best people they’ve got that works there! She’s helpful with recourses and knowledgeable in her field

Dynasty Ortega is such a great person. She has helped me and my kids in more ways than one. She’s helped with food pantry resources when I didn’t know what to do. She has helped defend me during a really difficult time… at a school meeting. Sometimes us moms are doing it all alone but in reality we aren’t . She was and is my net. I was struggling in more ways that I could handle and she stepped in and went over and beyond. People like her is why companies like this stay active

This place is awesome, there’s a children’s case manager named Dynasty that always goes out of her way to really help her clients and never complains, she put SMA healthcare on the map for our family. My family really… needed help, and everybody was accommodating. I couldn’t be more thankful for them and all the services that SMA healthcare provide. Thank You SMA healthcare!

Do NOT call them when your child is having issues. They just tell you to call 911! Yet they have a "response team" When you're even a patient with them they don't care. Oh and as an adult ... Don't try. They hate people.

I was in SMA during a rough time and I cannot even begin to describe how horrible my experience was. I left SMA feeling worse and more beaten down than before I entered their nasty doors. To begin, the non-nursing staff… is all recent high school graduates who do not give a flying fig about anything except playing around and joking with other staff members. The doctors and nurses asked which medications I took and then proceeded to not give me one of the most important medications I take, and then gave me the wrong dosages of others - but if I said anything I was treated like an idiot who didn't know her own medication schedule. The rooms were horrifying - filthy cinder block cells with dirty, paper thin cot mattresses and thin blankets which did nothing for the extreme temperature changes. If the fan was running, it was frigid - if it was off, the room was sweltering. The woman I was in a room with demanded we keep the lights on all night - which was annoying at first until the lights were turned off momentarily and COCKROACHES started swarming our room (we killed at least 3 or 4 before just hiding in our cots) so needless to say we kept the lights on all night to try and keep the roaches away. And the food that they served was not even fit for the worst prisons - who in their right mind would eat lettuce for breakfast? I will say it was a benefit to loose some weight because nothing was palatable EXCEPT the lettuce which was served religiously for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The only good part was they had decent snacks at snack time and we were allowed outside for 1 hour a day. If you're looking for mental health help, avoid SMA at all costs... you'd have more success bashing your head against a boulder repeatedly.

This place is a NIGHTMARE. If you love your children please by all means do not send them here. Anything else is better. I am not a psychopath, I was actually sent here falsely. Long story short, the whole time I kept a… calm mature manner. The nurse and staff laughed at me when I was having a panic attack, mocked me, degraded me for my mental diagnoses for example- the nurse laughs then says “that’s her bpd”. So unexceptable! I asked why I had to be on higher obs and the nurse looks at me and says it’s because I was crying. (I was silently crying in a chair alone) and when I asked for her to explain it she laughs out loud at me and tells me to o not tell her how to do her job and that she “doesn’t have to” explain anything to me then laughs again, (no surprise) and says “hah! In fact you’re probably going to be on one one one obs because you have anorexia and bulimia!” There is so much more I could say. Oh and then when I was crying repeatedly telling them to stop degrading me (sitting down in my hair circled up scared) (not yelling) the know it all nurse went and got the restraint chair and says “hah! Time for the chair!) the least to say is that I’m sickened. My mother had to come up there at 8:30 pm to get ahold with what was going on. The supervisor was disgusted in the nurse and staffs behavior. I was genuinely scared. Not even the worst person in the world deserves to be treated that way. They did not do their job at all whatsoever, no compassion. So, with that being said- SMA is going to be having a lawsuit on their hands and that is not a threat because it will and IS happening. No patient will be dehumanized anymore.

Horrible. The patients make rape jokes, SA jokes, and suicide jokes, half of the time the staff don't stop them. The patients will harass and curse you out, and all they get is alone time. You have to eat everything… given to you. If you're there for self harm they'll keep you longer than everyone else. The beds are horrible, the food isn't good, the services are bad. The doctor makes you talk about why you're there, and makes you show them your cuts and scars. They made me squat and cough. The place is overall more triggering than my home. I hate it there. I get sexualized there and they use the excuse "they're just boys."

The worst place it was super cold and the lights were on all night the bed is super hard we have to wake up at 5 DONT GO HERE the worst place I every been at we have to go to bed at 10 we are not allowed to go to our… room

i was there because i had suicidal thoughts and i pretty much have ptsd from there..........

And every appointment, everything runs smooth, and they're very attentive

My daughter has been in SMA Healthcare for two and a half years. After she started receiving services she immediately started to improve. We are so grateful for her therapist Kumu, Dr. Goodrow, and Wendy Conley the… BNET. They guided us through every single process and supported my daughter all these years. I totally recommend SMA Healthcare to anyone that is looking for mental health services. They are committed to the work that they are doing. Thank you so much SMA Healthcare for being such an important part of my daughter’s success.

Absolutely worst experience ever! My child was admitted to the crisis center and came for a follow appointment. Dr.Long was absolutely unhelpful and just rude everything that was told at crisis center was a lie they… don't offer counseling because they do not have licensed therapist there according to Dr long or any kind of counseling but what they do have is medication distribution let's pass pills and not get the mental help and correct c counseling needed! Waste of time beware of this place it's a joke needs to be shut down!!!!

My friend has a terrible experience there. The food was terrible and she was cold.(Update) I actually ended up there myself and I was treated terribly. This place made my cptsd worse and I have bad flashbacks from this… place. Please destroy this building