The Center for Psychiatric Health has been serving Jacksonville residents’ mental health needs since 2004. “The Center” provides comprehensive treatment options for a wide range of mental health conditions, including: depression, anxiety, childhood or developmental disorders, marital and family relationship issues, substance-related disorders, grief and loss.
The Center is professionally staffed with adult and child psychiatrists, plus multiple-licensed therapists. The practice also offers tele-psychiatry, which is a specifically-designed form of mental health services utilizing live, interactive video conferencing for both adults and children needing a diagnostic assessment and/or medication management. Services are provided on Wednesday and Thursday in coordination with Blessing Hospital in Quincy.
Over the last 10 years that it has been serving the community, The Center’s location has changed twice; their most recent move taking place earlier this summer. They are now located in the southeast corner of Passavant’s campus, next to the office of obstetrician Dr. Jeffrey Olejnik, M.D.
This most recent move has not only provided the patients and staff with an beautiful and conveniently located new facility, but it has also coincided with the arrival of Dr. Pravesh Basnet, a full time child and adult psychiatrist. Dr. Basnet will provide psychiatric medical care to patients of all ages.
In addition to Dr. Basnet’s psychiatric medicine practice, The Center also offers counseling with licensed clinical social workers and a psychologist. The counseling staff includes: adult counselors William Loveland, L.C.S.W., Julie Wolff Tennill, L.C.S.W., and William Tennill, L.C.S.W., as well as child counselor Tracy Stucker, L.C.S.W. Russell Taylor, Ph. D. The psychologist. The Center also employs two nurses, an office manager, and a receptionist.
Chief Physician Services Officer Steve Lee says of Dr. Basnet: “We are just super excited to have him as a part of the medical community. Mental health services has been one of the greatest unmet needs in our area, and his skills and background are going to make a big difference.”
Dr. Basnet is just as enthusiastic about his new role. He says that the community has been very welcoming and supportive, and that he is very excited for the future. “When Steve (Lee) took me around to meet with everyone, the whole physician community welcomed me and expressed excitement about working together.” He says he is thrilled with the way that the entire health system values and understands the importance of psychiatric medicine.
Though Dr. Basnet is new to the Jacksonville medical community, his wife, Ekta has been working locally for a couple of years. She is a pediatrician with Memorial Physician Services, and has been working in Jacksonville since 2012. When her husband finished his residency at SIU, she encouraged him to seek a position in Jacksonville. In fact, he jokes that she told him “You’re not looking anywhere else…She absolutely loves the people and working here. She told me how great the environment was, and I’ve really gotten to see that for myself.”
The Basnets were both born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal, and met in the hospital where he was working as an intern, and she was a student. They were married and had their first child in Nepal before moving to New York in 2007. During the time they lived in New York, Dr. (Mr.) Basnet worked in research at the Manhattan Psychiatric Center.
The couple moved to central Illinois in 2009 so that he could complete his residency at SIU in Springfield. Dr. Basnet says, “I interviewed for residency programs all over the country, but when I came to Springfield, I knew it was home. I was ready to get out of New York, and the Midwest just felt like the right place for me.” The couple now resides in Springfield with their ten year old son, and two year old daughter.
Dr. Basnet now acceps new patients of any age. He reiterates that “all patients are welcome.”
