Online Psychiatrist New Port Richey, FL: Telepsychiatry with Dr. Jack Long
Ascend Psychiatry & Wellness offers online psychiatrist visits for adults in New Port Richey and west Pasco County. Your psychiatrist is Dr. Jack Long, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist who focuses on psychiatric evaluation and medication management. Every appointment happens over secure video, so care fits around a day on US-19 rather than the other way around.
Psychiatric care on the US-19 corridor
New Port Richey sits in a county that has grown quickly. Pasco County passed 560,000 residents in the 2020 Census and has kept growing since, along US-19, the Suncoast Parkway, and SR-54. Local behavioral health services have also changed. In September 2023, the inpatient behavioral health unit at HCA's Trinity West hospital closed, and HCA moved those services to its hospitals in Tampa and Largo.
Outpatient psychiatry is available in the area, but the options that fit your insurance, your schedule, and your clinical needs can be spread out between Trinity, Clearwater, and Tampa. For a resident near downtown New Port Richey, Clearwater is roughly 24 miles away (about 33 minutes) and Tampa roughly 38 miles (about 48 minutes), approximate figures that assume light traffic on US-19. A 30-minute medication follow-up can easily turn into a two-hour round trip.
The federal Health Resources and Services Administration also designates a mental health professional shortage area for low-income residents of the region that includes Pasco County. That designation does not mean care is unavailable. It does mean demand for psychiatric prescribers has outrun supply, which is where telepsychiatry helps.
Why telepsychiatry fits west Pasco
If you work in Pinellas or Hillsborough, or care for family in Pasco, a weekday psychiatry appointment means fitting a drive into an already full day. Telehealth lets you keep your routine. You join your visit by video from home, from a parked car, or from a private room at work, and there is no second trip across county lines for a prescription.
- No driving to Tampa or Clearwater. Your first evaluation and your follow-ups happen on the same secure video platform.
- Your local pharmacy. Prescriptions are sent to the New Port Richey, Holiday, or Trinity pharmacy you already use.
- Continuity if you move. Dr. Long provides care exclusively via secure telehealth to patients throughout Florida, so you keep the same psychiatrist if you relocate to Hernando, Pinellas, or anywhere else in the state.
What Dr. Jack Long treats
Dr. Jack Long, MD, sees adults 18 and older. His practice centers on psychiatric medication management: finding the right medication at the right dose, then monitoring how it is working and adjusting when it is not. He commonly works with:
- Depression, including depression that has not responded to earlier medication trials
- Anxiety disorders: generalized anxiety, panic disorder, and social anxiety
- Bipolar I and bipolar II disorder
- Schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder
- Second opinions and adjustments to a current medication plan
Dr. Long also coordinates with therapists and primary care physicians. If you already see a counselor in Pasco County, he can work alongside them rather than replacing that relationship. You can read more about his training and approach on his profile page.
Outpatient care closer to home after local changes
Since the Trinity West unit closed, some west Pasco residents complete an inpatient stay in Tampa or Largo and then need an outpatient psychiatrist closer to home to continue medication care. Others lose a prescriber when a practice closes, relocates to Trinity or Wesley Chapel, or stops taking their plan. In either case, a gap between prescribers is a real risk. Telepsychiatry can shorten that gap. You can book an evaluation with Dr. Long online and continue outpatient care by video from New Port Richey. During the evaluation he goes over your symptoms and the medications you have tried, and the two of you agree on a plan. If you need a second opinion or an adjustment to a medication you are already taking, that is part of his focus too.
How a first visit works
Your first appointment is a full psychiatric evaluation of about 60 minutes. Dr. Long asks about your current symptoms, your history, past medications, and what you want from treatment. Together you decide on a plan. Follow-up visits are shorter and focus on how the plan is working for you.
Before the visit, you complete a short intake form online. You need a private space, a phone or computer with a camera, and a stable internet connection.
Insurance Accepted
In-network with major Florida carriers. Cash pay and HSA/FSA also accepted.
SureFit
NALC Health
Don't see your carrier? Contact us - we may still be in-network.
What Our Patients Say
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Questions from New Port Richey patients
Do I have to drive to an office in New Port Richey?
No. Every appointment with Dr. Long is a video visit. You can join from anywhere in Florida, including your home in New Port Richey.
Can Dr. Long prescribe medication through telehealth?
Yes. When medication is part of the plan you and Dr. Long agree on, prescriptions are sent to your pharmacy. Controlled substances are prescribed only when clinically appropriate and in accordance with current DEA telehealth regulations. Dr. Long discusses medication options during your evaluation.
Does Ascend take my insurance?
Ascend accepts Cigna, Aetna, Optum, Medicare, Tricare, Oscar, UMR, Surest, UHS, Evernorth, Meritain, UnitedHealth, Allegiance, SureFit and NALC Health plans, and offers cash-pay rates. The fees and insurance page has the details. If you do not see your plan, contact us at (407) 798-9355, as we may still accept it.
Who is Dr. Jack Long?
Dr. Jack Long, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist at Ascend Psychiatry & Wellness. He completed his psychiatry residency at Richmond University Medical Center and focuses on medication management for adults.
Scheduling with Dr. Long
Ascend accepts Cigna, Aetna, Optum, Medicare, Tricare, Oscar, UMR, Surest, UHS, Evernorth, Meritain, UnitedHealth, Allegiance, SureFit and NALC Health plans, with cash-pay rates listed on our fees and insurance page. Dr. Long sees adults 18 and older, by secure telehealth video from anywhere in Florida.
In a crisis? Our practice provides outpatient psychiatric care and is not equipped for emergency situations. For a psychiatric emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. For mental health crisis support, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7.
Other Florida telehealth locations: Sebring, Marianna, Groveland, Clermont.