A small gathering of Columbia denizens came together Saturday morning to officially welcome Just Today Holis- tic Counseling & Wellness, a new mental health and wellness facility, to Main Street.

Standing in front of the facility’s new 402 Main Street home, the gathering heard from Dr. Kisha Norman, the facility’s owner and Clinical Director.

Here she briefly outlined the order of events, which included prayers and blessings from Reverend Roy G McPherson, a song selection by Sierra Pledger among others.

Afterwards the ceremony was visited by a handful of Columbia’s public officials, including County Manager David Clegg, Mayor Sandra Combs and Commissioner Nina Griswell, all of whom reiterated the importance of having such a facility at their fingertips and how grateful they were that Norman and her staff decided to set up shop on Main Street.

“Really and truly, we just want to thank Kisha for bringing her business here to Main Street Columbia. It’s such an asset to just be able to walk in and look and see what she has done to this business and building, which isn’t even counting all the different programs that she offers here,” The Mayor said. “On behalf of the town you want to welcome you and your business to the Town of Columbia.” Clegg largely echoed the Mayor’s sentiments, adding that it was an important service that is rarely found in rural health communities.

“Rural America has been a vacuum for mental Health services. The addressing of mental health, intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities, and traumatic brain injuries were always something that you had to go away to address,” Clegg said. “Well, you shouldn’t have to leave to address those issues, now we have someone who is homegrown and has a unique understanding of how mental health issues play out in a rural setting and how to address them... having them here is a unique opportunity and a rare one at that.”

Clegg added that while organizations such as Trillium have been making significant strides into supplementing and facilitating care and resources into rural areas, they cannot replace the work of professionals like Norman and her staff whom know the area and its people intimately...