How access 304 was born

Growing up in Jefferson County, West Virginia, founder, Dr. Ashley Shepard, recalls enduring long distance drives to attend simple doctor appointments due to the lack of providers who accepted her insurance in her community. It wasn’t until adulthood that Dr. Shepard understood more about barriers to access to healthcare in her beautiful state.

Being married to an active duty Marine for over a decade, she spent most of her adult life in Southern California where he was stationed. It was in California where she noticed amenities and access to mental health care in ways she had not observed in West Virginia. Being able to find many specialists for various types of mental health concerns, and the abundance of providers in the region, shined a light on the deprivation West Virginia has in terms of access to mental healthcare.

She was in her second year of her doctoral training in Southern California, and she felt a calling to return to her home state of West Virginia to support her community. She completed her doctoral internship at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center, and started her own private practice. Quickly, the calls for care came in, and so did the desperation and urgency from clients all over the state. Hearing calls from parents who said, “I’ve had my child on a waitlist for 3, 6, or 12 months was simply not acceptable. Dr. Shepard knew she had to do more.

Access 304 was born from a West Virginia woman who chose to return to her state with her education and experience to alleviate the deprivation of mental health care in her state.

Access 304 is currently a 501(c)3 nonprofit, tax exempt organization. We aim to be a place where people can come to train, learn, study, and receive care in many aspects of mental health. Our overarching goal is to provide specialty care to West Virginians so they don’t have to drive hours away to receive equitable care. We strive to equip clinicians with specialty training in order to treat kids and adults with various issues, such as trauma, abuse, depression, anxiety and severe mental illness. We will do this by partnering with community agencies to support their already established efforts. Additionally, we will identify the needs of the state and create pathways to provide care and training based on the demands of the region through our own programming.

We are excited to create change and opportunity in our beautiful state and look forward to creating relationships with individuals and agencies as we embark on this journey.

FAQs

  • We do not accept insurance at this time, as we aim to provide easier access to care for those who are uninsured or underinsured. Your fee is calculated based on your household income, which will be discussed during your initial phone call with us to establish services

  • Yes! All of the above! We have trained clinicians available to see people of all ages.

  • During your initial phone call with us, inquire if we have a provider who can provide telehealth services to you, as licensing requirements restrict practice outside the state of West Virginia without an active license in another state.