Pensacola, Fla. (August 28, 2026) – Lakeview Center is collaborating with HCA Florida West Hospital’s psychiatry residency program to help train the next generation of psychiatrists while expanding access to behavioral healthcare in Northwest Florida.

This program gives psychiatry residents hands-on experience providing care across the full continuum of behavioral health services, from acute psychiatric crises to long-term recovery and community-based treatment. In summer 2026, the first cohort of residents began three-month rotations at Lakeview Center, where they work alongside experienced clinicians serving children, adolescents and adults with a wide range of mental health needs.

The residency program comes at a time when communities across Florida are facing growing demand for mental health services and a significant shortage of behavioral health professionals. Access to psychiatrists remains a challenge in many areas, making workforce development a critical component of improving care.

“Strengthening access to mental healthcare requires strengthening the workforce,” said Dr. Ludergnani, chief of Medical Services. “This program not only helps train future psychiatrists, but it also creates opportunities for those physicians to establish careers in Northwest Florida and better understand the unique needs of our community.”

One of the program’s greatest strengths is its ability to expose residents to multiple levels of care. While HCA Florida West provides training in acute inpatient psychiatry, emergency department psychiatry and complex medical-psychiatric cases, Lakeview Center offers experience in outpatient, crisis and community-based settings. Residents are also able to follow patients throughout different stages of treatment and recovery, gaining insights that are difficult to achieve in a single care setting.

Research consistently shows that physicians are more likely to practice in the communities where they complete their training. By bringing psychiatry residents to Pensacola, the program is helping create a sustainable pipeline of providers who may choose to remain in Northwest Florida after residency. Program leaders say that long-term workforce development is essential to addressing shortages and improving access to care.

Lakeview Center and HCA Florida West have worked together for years to address the region’s behavioral health needs, including collaboration on the Central Receiving Facility and other community mental health initiatives. Leaders from both organizations say the residency program represents another important step toward building a stronger behavioral health system for the region.

For more information about addiction or mental health treatment, call 850-469-3500 or visit eLakeviewCenter.org.