By Christine Graf<\/p>\n
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Shannon James has opened Kindred Wellness Care, a private mental health practice located at 7 Steven Street in Glens Falls. James works with adults suffering from mental health disorders, specializing in the treatment of ADHD and addiction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It was while working as a nurse in the psychiatric inpatient unit at Glens Falls Hospital that James made the decision to further her education. Returning to college to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner, she graduated from Russell Sage in 2018.<\/p>\n Psychiatric nurse practitioners provide both acute and long-term care, diagnosing psychiatric disorders, managing mental health conditions, and prescribing and monitoring psychiatric medications. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After earning her degree, James was hired by Saratoga Hospital, contracted out to work for Saratoga County Mental Health. Three years later, she partnered with Daniel Breeyear to establish the Eden Center for Integrative Care in Glens Falls.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m still with Eden until the end of the year when I will be fully invested in my new practice,\u201d said James.<\/p>\n She also treats patients at the Washington County Jail, managing the medications for inmates with substance abuse issues. After serving their time, some of these inmates choose to continue treatment with James.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey want to continue with their medication so they don\u2019t go back to jail,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n It was through her work at the jail that James developed a desire to help those struggling with addiction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span>\u201cMost providers don\u2019t want to take patients with substance abuse problems. So, I feel like I am needed and that I can be useful in that area,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The shortage of providers is at a critical level, with the 2021 National Survey of Drug Use and Health reporting that 94 percent of adults with a substance use disorder did not receive the care they needed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n According to James, those who seek medication assisted treatment for their addiction are often stigmatized. She said the same is true for those\u00a0 <\/span>prescribed Adderall, a controlled substance used to manage ADHD.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhenever you get medication that is a controlled substance, there\u2019s usually a stigma that goes with it. And I\u2019m not talking about just with your coworkers. It can even be with the pharmacies, and it can impact how you\u2019re treated. It\u2019s a big deal,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Although James specializes in addiction and ADHD, her work encompasses a multitude of mental health diagnoses.<\/p>\n \u201cADHD and addiction are not all I do by any means,\u201d she said. \u201cI do everything– depression, anxiety, bipolar, psychosis.\u201d<\/p>\n As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, James said she has been trained to look at the \u201cwhole person,\u201d recognizing the connection between the mind and the body.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen you come to see me, it\u2019s like going to see your doctor. But instead of talking about medical issues, you are talking about your mental health. We help patients with medications, supplements, or whatever they need to do to be better as a whole. That\u2019s why we order labs. For example, if your Vitamin D is low, you have a high potential to be very fatigued and very depressed. When people are low in their vitamins or if they have thyroid or autoimmune issues, this can cause emotional issues,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n James cited a study that found that individuals who have suffered a heart attack are 60 percent more likely to suffer from depression. She also mentioned that mental health issues can be triggered when women enter menopause.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t tell you how many women we have coming through that say they can\u2019t sleep and that they are anxious and depressed,\u201d she said. \u201cWe do labs for their hormones and based on the results, we can recommend supplements that might help with things like hot flashes and irritability.\u201d<\/p>\n When choosing a name for her private practice, James selected Kindred, a word that is defined as \u201cone\u2019s family and relations.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy goal for Kindred is that we treat you like family. That\u2019s how I treat my patients\u2014like they are my own family.\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s what I\u2019ve been doing for my entire career,\u201d said James. \u201cKindred is a safe place that people can get care for mental health and substance abuse without any kind of stigma.\u201d<\/p>\n Kindred Wellness Care is accepting new patients and takes numerous insurances including CDPHP, Empire, Highmark, Aetna, Optum, Medicaid, Medicare, Cigna, and United Healthcare. New patients should contact Kindred to verify insurance coverage. For more information, visit www.kindredwellnesscare.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Christine Graf Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Shannon James has opened Kindred Wellness Care, a private mental health practice located at 7 Steven Street in Glens Falls. James works with adults suffering from mental health disorders, specializing in the treatment of ADHD and addiction.\u00a0 It was while working as a nurse in the psychiatric inpatient unit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health-wellness"],"yoast_head":"\r\n