SafeHaven International,Inc

SafeHaven International, LLC is an outpatient mental health practice founded in Rochester, New York, with a mission to expand timely, culturally responsive psychiatric care in the community where its founder was born and raised.

The need. Monroe County's own data tells the story: 34% of residents were diagnosed with a behavioral health condition in 2023 (up from 29% in 2016), behavioral-health-related emergency room visits have surged 72% since 2005, and access gaps fall hardest on low-income residents and communities of color. Most local clinics have long waits and no walk-in access, and outpatient capacity is concentrated in two large hospital systems. Too many of our neighbors reach crisis because they cannot get routine care.

What we do. SafeHaven is developing a comprehensive outpatient psychiatric clinic — currently in the New York State Office of Mental Health pre-licensure process — at 687 Lee Road in Rochester. The clinic will provide psychiatric evaluations, medication management, individual and group therapy, peer support services, and coordinated care for adults living with serious mental illness and co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Our specialty is the population hardest to serve well: people navigating both mental health and addiction recovery, who too often fall between the two systems.

Our model. SafeHaven is built as a sustainable, insurance-based community clinic — prioritizing Medicaid recipients and underserved neighborhoods — with a phased staffing plan that includes psychiatric nurse practitioners, licensed therapists, a certified peer specialist, and physician medical direction. We partner with, rather than compete against, the region's addiction treatment providers, hospitals, and primary care practices.

Our team. Founder and Executive Director La Carla Holmes, PMHNP-BC, APRN, MSN, CNE, is a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with 28 years in nursing, active practice in addiction detox and outpatient treatment settings across the Rochester region, and current doctoral (DNP) and addiction counselor (CASAC) candidacies. She is a clinical preceptor training the next generation of psychiatric nurse practitioners, and SafeHaven is a certified Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) — a Black woman-founded practice bringing care that reflects the community it serves.