Adventist HealthCare Behavioral Health & Wellness Services

Reviews 5

TA

Tanner Pettigrew-Brown

Worst mental facility I have had the misfortune to come in contact with. I was hospitalized here about two years ago in the Senaca unit and while I was put in contact with one of the best psychiatrists Ive encountered (still my psychiatrist to this day) the staff here for the most part are horribly impolite. You are sometimes left waiting for your meds and a doctor to see for days. Almost (and I say almost) every staff member is dismissive, rude and in every sense of the word, terrible. My friend has been here multiple times since I was discharged and was very upset to see the staff has not changed one bit. Maybe in fact had gotten worse. And this was the staff at the front desk! I was not a patient and they treated me very badly. I walked in two days ago to visit my friend in the Montgomery unit and said "Hello, I was here to visit my friend in the M. unit" and she very offensively responded "You WAS or you ARE?" I kept a very polite composure the entire encounter and said "Im sorry, I am." She shoved a clipboard in front of me and said "Sign in". I did just that and accidentally started walking away with the pen in my hand. She then almost shouted at me "Sir is that your pen?!" I said "Oh excuse me" and returned it. I understand being stressed in an environment like this but they do not need to act like this, especially to non-patients. They never responded to my multiple thank yous despite being very polite to them. I can only imagine what its like for the patients in there now. Please DO NOT send your loved ones here if at all possible. The rehabilitation is almost a joke. Again, the staff at the front desk were very unprofessional and downright offensive. If I could give negative 10 stars, I wouldnt hesitate. This place SUCKS.

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A

A Private User

The potomac ridge behavioral center located in Rockville, MD is nothing new; psychiatry at its best. Patients have no rights and must be compliant with "treatment" (which is drugs), otherwise they are not allowed to leave. Much of the staff is rude and unhelpful save for a couple gems. You are on lockdown and must ask for staff to unlock your bedroom, bathroom (which have no locks, so anyone could walk in on you--bad for rape victims)--and much of the staff is too "busy" to assist you. I highly recommend to avoid this place at all costs, and if a psychiatrist forces you to go "voluntarily" (otherwise youll be arrested and brought there "involuntarily") then do all you can to get out as soon as possible--in other words, walk on eggshells, be compliant and submissive to the idiot staff, and take whatever drugs they want to throw at you, which trust me, you will NOT be given information about side effects. When you are finally discharged and the social worker tells you to call your ride, dont call them unless you want them to wait 5 hours in the waiting room downstairs while the other idiots there complain about getting your paperwork done. Expensive, poor conditions, rude staff, and very little rights for those with mental health issues. A few years ago when I stayed on the teenage unit, I observed a staff abusing a patient down at the end of the hall. When I confronted him, he told me I was a "crazy white girl" and became very defensive. There was no one I could go to to report this incident. Tranquilizers were frequently used to subdue patients that were the least bit disorderly.

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KE

Kevin McIntire

I was never part of the inpatient program, only outpatient. I was part of the substance abuse outpatient program where Sheila Waters told myself and my peers that "wearing a rubber band and snapping It against your skin when you have an urge to smoke" was an effective treatment. We were all people that had formally self harmed. That level of unprofessionalism is not only negligent to those receiving treatment but is honestly scary considering how many individuals go through that program that have most likely injured themselves in that exact way. I also saw a psychiatrist and a psychologist in their facility. My psychologist, Leticia was the best part of my experiences. She was everything one could hope for in a mental health professional. The main reason I am writing this though is because of what happened with a payment. I was billed for service having been provided on September 1st 2014. Anyone with a calendar can see that that date was Labor Day and thus the office was closed. On top of that, my psychiatrist (who Im said to have had an appointment with) was out of the office that whole week on vacation. After countless times of informing the office that there was no appointment (I had my insurance company involved as well) they went to a collection agency for the payment (which has been changed in amount at least 4 times in the past year). I should not have to worry that because my name is in a system I might have a collection agency hunting me down. The whole operation is a sham and needs to be overhauled.

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SU

Susan Byrne

Gave our vegan daughter meals she could not eat 11 out of 13 times, the other 2 were vegan but unappetizing; perishable foods ALWAYS had an expiration date of one day later than served. Complaints to staff, unit manager, nutritionists, and assigned physician -- 5 professionals -- could not resolve a simple meal planning issue. Others received moldy fruit, nuts when allergic to nuts, completely different meals than chosen on the menu planners. Do you want to entrust treatment planning to this group? We got a doctors orders to override their "no outside foods" policy so we could bring food in to keep our daughter nourished. They gave our daughter someone elses meds once; woke her at 6AM to give her nonessential meds when she was already sleep deprived from noisy hourly bedchecks each night. Visitation was in a meat-locker cold room where families were LOCKED IN with no call button or phone for emergencies. Dont fly over this cuckoos nest if you can avoid it; sadly, for emergency mental health care there arent great alternatives, though we have heard better about Shepherd Pratt. This place, though, was a big fail on their goals of stabilizing a crisis situation, making patients feel safe and listened to, meeting minimum needs for food, sleep, meds, and, oh yeah, absolutely NO exercise or outdoor time. Zero alignment with long established health recommendations.

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KA

Kat V

It was not the first time I had been in a place like this, but it was the last. Unlike other places I had been, the staff was friendly and cared. They did not radically change my meds, they did not drug me so I couldnt function, and they didnt get upset and lock me away when I cried. My days in this place were incredibly hard and filled with sadness and tears, but they were also filled with friends, jokes, board games, basketball, music, dogs, hugs, love, therapy, and people who listened. It has been several years now, but my roommate and I still keep in touch and support each other when things get rough. I cannot help but think if I had been here years earlier it would have saved me a lot of grief. The staff was wonderful and caring, and my family and I will be forever grateful. I have wanted to donate but havent had the money. I truly was saved by this place. Its a religious hospital but they dont force any amount of it on you (thankfully) but they have plenty of services available should you like to take part. I remember my days here fondly (though I would never like to go back) and I truly think this was the first step in a new direction for me. Update: I was in an inpatient ward.

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