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Stories

Faced with a rising need for mental health and substance misuse care, Lakeview Center has grown with our community since 1954. Each year, we serve more than 29,000 adults and children in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties.

Some of these stories of growth and success – for our team members and those we serve – are below.

All interview requests must be made through the Marketing and Communications department. For assistance, please call 850-503-8164 or e-mail [email protected] or [email protected].

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Lakeview Center receives grant from St. Joe Community Foundation to renovate Walton County Residential kitchen

Lakeview Center receives grant from St. Joe Community Foundation to renovate Walton County Residential kitchen

Pensacola, Fla. (April 1, 2026) – A $32,400 grant from the St. Joe Community Foundation has enabled a much‑needed kitchen renovation at Lakeview Center of Walton County, enhancing safety and daily living for adults receiving residential mental health care. The grant funded a comprehensive kitchen remodel, including new cabinets, countertops, appliances and other critical upgrades, […]

Community Action Team members named Lakeview Center Team Members of the Quarter

Community Action Team members named Lakeview Center Team Members of the Quarter

Community Action Team (CAT) members Matthew Harris, Dawn Stewart and Linzy Plessel have been named Lakeview Center’s Team Members of the Quarter for their extraordinary compassion, teamwork and unwavering commitment to the families they serve. Nominated by their managers, Patti Hyde and Hailey Vascik, the trio was recognized for going far beyond their roles while […]

amy gokey headshot

Amy Gokey has been named Lakeview Center Team Member of the Year

For nearly two decades, Amy Gokey has dedicated her career to strengthening mental health and substance use services in the communities Lakeview Center serves. Today, as director of the Friary Pensacola, Amy oversees a comprehensive set of counseling programs designed to support adults at some of life’s most critical moments. “The Friary Pensacola is an […]

LifeView Group designated a 2026 Military Friendly® Employer

LifeView Group designated a 2026 Military Friendly® Employer

Pensacola, Fla. (Dec. 17, 2025) – Lakeview Center’s parent company, LifeView Group, has earned the 2026 Military Friendly® Employer designation, marking the organization’s fourth consecutive year receiving this honor. This recognition underscores LifeView Group’s ongoing commitment to supporting the military and veteran community through hiring, career advancement and comprehensive services. As a nonprofit family of […]

Covenant Care awards $567,305 to Lakeview Center

Covenant Care awards $567,305 to Lakeview Center, sustaining psychiatry access for Pensacola’s uninsured

Pensacola, Fla. (Dec. 10, 2025) –  Lakeview Center, Northwest Florida’s most comprehensive behavioral health provider, has been awarded $567,305 from Covenant Care Foundation to sustain essential psychiatry services for uninsured adults living with mental illness and substance use disorders. The grant will provide funding and support for three psychiatric nurse practitioners, who will provide care […]

Team member of the quarter Austin Witt

Austin Witt named Lakeview Center Team Member of the Quarter

Austin Witt has been named Lakeview Center’s Team Member of the Quarter for his compassion, professionalism and unwavering dedication to the people he serves. Lori Clapsadl, risk and compliance program manager, shared that Austin “works very hard to consistently deliver compassionate and meaningful services.” She added that his ability to truly understand clients on a […]

LifeView Group earns CARF’s highest accreditation

LifeView Group earns CARF’s highest accreditation

Pensacola, Fla. (Sept. 24, 2025) – LifeView Group—parent company of Lakeview Center, FamiliesFirst Network, and Global Connections to Employment—has earned a three-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), the highest level of achievement awarded by the organization. This milestone reflects LifeView Group’s unwavering commitment to quality, person-centered care and continuous improvement […]

Opioid Abatement Grant to support pregnant women and mothers in residential addiction treatment

$76,000 Opioid Abatement Grant to support pregnant women and mothers in residential addiction treatment

DeFuniak Springs, Fla. (Sept. 15, 2025) – Lakeview Center has been awarded $76,000 in opioid abatement funding from Walton County’s Opioid and Substance Use Disorder Grants Committee. The grant will provide essential support to Lakeview Center’s JoAnn Birge Women and Children’s Center—particularly for the infants and young children who stay with their mothers during residential […]

Behavioral Health Technician Manager Jen McDonald TMOQ

Jen McDonald named Lakeview Center Team Member of the Quarter

Jen McDonald, Behavioral Health technician manager, manages Cabot Heights – Lakeview Center’s foster care group home for teenage boys – but has also stepped in over the past three months to support the girls’ home, Arcadia Place. Jen is fully invested in the children of both homes, often working evenings and weekends to celebrate their […]