She Helps Alabamians Through Their Toughest Times

Each year in the United States, one in five adults experiences a mental health crisis. Additionally, one of every eight emergency department visits by an adult involves mental illness or substance use. Unfortunately, many people don’t get the help they need. In fact, each year, 60 percent of adults with a mental illness don’t receive treatment. Alabama currently ranks fiftieth of 51 states (including D.C.) in statewide access to mental health care. For Dr. Sabrina Scott, these staggering statistics aren’t just facts and figures. They’re a call to action. 

Sabrina is the newly appointed director of the JBS Mental Health Authority’s Region II Crisis Care Center, set to open this fall. Serving residents across 20 counties in Central Alabama, the Crisis Care Center will support individuals experiencing a psychiatric, behavioral, or substance use crisis. The new facility, located off Valley Avenue near I-65 at 401 Beacon Parkway West, will be the first of its kind in Birmingham. 

Sabrina is a licensed professional counselor who previously served as director of the Behavioral Health Crisis Center in Cobb County, Georgia. With 15 years of experience overseeing and managing clinical, crisis, and residential programs for youth, adults, couples, and families struggling with mental health and substance use-related diagnoses, Sabrina is well-equipped for her new post. In her various career roles, she has worked with community partners, stakeholders, and service providers to help those who are often underserved and underinsured get the care they need for mental health and substance use-related problems. As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re honored to introduce our newest FACE of Birmingham, Dr. Sabrina Scott of the Region II Crisis Care Center. 

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Tell us more about the Region II Crisis Care Center and why our community needs a facility like this.

As a result of everybody working together — from state and local governmental levels to community stakeholders and partners — we have a 48-bed crisis center set to open in the fall. The purpose of the crisis center is for emergency psychiatric care for mental health and substance use. So, instead of going to an ER when you feel like you’re having severe anxiety, depression, or a psychotic episode, you’ll come to the crisis center.

It alleviates pressure from hospitals and jails. A lot of people belong in a place where they can actually get treated for their symptoms rather than go to jail, obtain charges, and be in the judicial system. Our goal is to treat the crisis and then link them to services and outpatient treatment so they can have medications when they leave our program and continue to maintain their recovery once they leave the crisis system.

What do you think can be done about the stigma sometimes associated with seeking mental health care?

Many people who may not have received any mental health services prior to COVID are now coming into the fold to get the treatment they need. The rules and guidelines around telehealth have been a little bit more relaxed, so more people have the opportunity to receive services. Over the last two years, the environment we’ve been in has brought more attention to the need for mental health care. So, I think it’s about using this opportunity — educating, opening up programs, providing services where people feel more comfortable walking through those doors. [It’s about] letting people know there’s a place for you and you’re not alone.

If your family is big enough, there’s somebody that struggles with mental health or substance use. Sometimes people have an idea of what they think mental health or substance use issues look like, but it looks like all of us — all faces, all races, all backgrounds, and all cultures.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

I am a huge football fan; I love all things NFL! I’m a season ticket holder for the Atlanta Falcons and have been for about eight or nine years. I like to travel, so I typically go to two away games a year in addition to the home games. My goal is to go to every stadium. When the Falcons played in London, I went to London. I’ve gone to Seattle. I’ve gone to Denver. I combine the two things I love the most — football and travel. Half of the year, I’m on the road at games. The other half of the year, I’m recuperating emotionally and financially.

I always tell people I do hard work, but as hard as you work, you have to play harder. I can go into a stadium amongst 70,000 other people, and I can scream and yell and talk trash, and nobody will judge me. Then when Monday morning comes, I do my job 100 percent. I have balance.

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You moved from Georgia to Birmingham. What do you think of the Magic City so far?

I’ve been pleasantly surprised. You guys have some really good food! And everyone is so friendly. I feel not only welcomed in my new job but Birmingham.

Do you have any favorite places in town yet?

The Filling Station won me over when I first got here.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given or the best advice you have to give?

You have to do the work within to be beneficial to anybody and anything you do in life. I always tell my staff (and I tell myself), “Take care of yourself outside of work so you can be the best you can be inside of work.”

If you don’t fill up your vessel, you don’t have anything to give anybody else. Practice self-care — whether that’s your spirituality and faith, your relationships, eating right, or exercising. Whatever those things may be, you have to pour into your vessel so you’re able to give this world the best that you can. You can’t do that if you’re always on empty.

Name three things you can’t live without.

NFL football, dark chocolate, and ‘80s music.

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All photos courtesy of Dr. Sabrina Scott unless otherwise noted.

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