LOOGOOTEE — Area residents looking for mental health support now have access to a free, walk-in clinic operating out of the Loogootee Public Library.
The community resource is hosted through a partnership between the Good Samaritan Home Board of Directors and the University of Southern Indiana’s (USI) Social Work Department. The initiative aims to lower traditional barriers to care in Martin County by providing free, local, and accessible counseling support without requiring appointments or insurance coverage.
The walk-in clinic is open to all adults 18 and older. Designed to ensure total confidentiality, visitors enter through the library’s back entrance allows visitors to bypass main operational areas to access a private consultation space.
During operating hours, visitors can meet one-on-one with a supervised clinical social work student from USI. Services provided during consultations include:
- Direct emotional support and crisis intervention
- Collaborative problem-solving strategies
- Actionable coping tools and mental health exercises
- Direct referrals for long-term or ongoing psychiatric and clinical care
The partnership pairing advanced social work students with community hubs reflects a growing effort across Indiana to address rural health care shortages. By utilizing supervised graduate interns under faculty direction, the initiative delivers immediate guidance to under-resourced areas while expanding field training for emerging clinicians.
Clinic Schedule and Location
The walk-in clinic will operate on every third Friday of the month during the autumn season:
- Dates: Sept. 18, October 16, and November 20
- Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Location: Loogootee Public Library (Back Entrance), 504 Park St., Loogootee, IN 47553
No advance registration or scheduling is required. Individuals seeking further details about the program or additional community resources can contact the Loogootee Public Library directly at 812-295-3713.
