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The treatment population in this adult acute admissions service is diverse, ranging from remote rural to urban in background, and representing a wide variety of psychiatric disorders. Patients admitted must meet criteria for involuntary commitment or be admitted on a voluntary basis with sufficiently severe psychopathology to warrant treatment in a locked psychiatric inpatient setting. This service has 133 operating beds and serves thirty-seven counties in the western region. The division is comprised of seven wards of approximately nineteen beds each. There are two female wards, three male wards, and two acute stabilization wards. The division is rapid-paced with an average length of stay of twelve days and approximately 280 admissions per month.
The primary mission of the Adult Admissions Division is to admit, diagnose, and provide acute care and rapid stabilization of persons with psychiatric disorders. After stabilization, patients are referred to appropriate treatment resources within the community. Services may include crisis intervention and other therapies such as pharmacological therapy, brief psychotherapy, and rehabilitation therapy. Discharge planning plays an important role in addressing the total needs of the individual. A major partner in organizing discharge plans to the community is the local managing entity (LME), which coordinates the provision of follow-up services. Identifying appropriate service providers and support systems for each person is often a critical component in assuring that a person has the means to stay “connected” to his/her community.
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