Following the opening and ribbon cutting of Stamford Health's new behavioral health outpatient office Friday, medical experts say they are celebrating more than just the new facility.

The center, located at the Tully Health Center, will make it easier for people to access mental health care. A Stamford Health Community Health Needs Assessment identified behavioral health as the No. 1 unmet need in the community.

"We're actually expecting to do 30,000 outpatient visits per year in the next few years. Up until now, patients were left with the harrowing task of finding their own behavioral health care," says Dr. Raviv B. Berlin, chair of Stamford Health's Department of Psychiatry.

Stamford Health CEO Kathleen Silard says one of the goals of the center is to erase the stigma people may experience when reaching out for help.

Silard says for people struggling with trauma, anxiety or depression is hard enough.

"Stigma and shame – it's a recipe for a lot of failure," she says.

The center provides in-person and telehealth behavioral health care and services are covered by insurance.

"We are accepting all commercial insurances, which is unusual. It's so hard for folks in the community to find any behavioral health clinicians, especially psychiatrists who are not fee for service out of pocket," Dr. Berlin says.