Lakeland Behavioral Health System

Reviews 3

VI

Victoria Henderson

My son recently had a stay here. I am a nurse and was terrified at the thought of my son being in someone elses care. I took him myself. I called several times a day to talk with staff about my sons care. I called my son daily. I visited him as often as I could. When I found myself awake at night worrying about our situation and unable to sleep I would call again. I even cried on the phone sometimes. They always listened. They always gave me feedback. They always knew where my son was and what he was doing, what he had done during the day. I was contacted multiple times from the admission process, to just asking me general questions about my son, to phone therapy sessions, through to the discharge process etc. I was contacted by office staff, nurses, therapists, counselors, etc. My son was never given a medication with out my consent. I was informed of what the psychiatrist wanted to prescribe for my son and asked to approve it. I often questioned my son on the phone about his care and if he had ever had any issues I would have pulled him out. When he moved up to a new level he was able to do more activities, basketball, etc. When we went to visit it was organized and clean and they had the kids outside because it was nice out. My son is a picky eater and he said he loved the food. That they always had something different. When I picked him up he had all of his belongings and due to us living out of town they had ordered and picked up his medication for us and it was ready with him. A nurse sat in a sitting area with my son and I and went over his discharge plan of care. They had set up counseling appts in our town and a follow up with my sons primary doctor for us. I realize that this place is not perfect but any facility can be picked apart. There are not so great staff in every facility but also some great ones. I have 4 kids and I needed help with my son so imagine if you are taking care of many kids at a time with these types of issues. I did not read the reviews on here before my son and I made the decision to go because if I would have read all these negative reviews I honestly would not have taken him. I knew our options were limited and that I could remove him if need be. They only stopped a medication and started a new one for my son. That along with the counseling he received has helped him tremendously. He is smiling. He is happier than I have seen him in a very long time. When I got on here to post a review tonight I decided to read the reviews. I then again asked my son about his stay. He continues to say it was a positive one. Did he see kids cussing , throwing stuff, acting out? Sure. Did he occassionally act up? Sure. It is a psychiatric hospital. I am sorry for any family/child that did not have a good result but thankfully we did. I hope that means that things are better here than before. Back to the good staff- Mr. Ben, Mr. Jordan and Mr. Derrel thank you for being memorable, positive influences on my son. You deserve raises. Really. Thank you to all the 3 south staff. Sincerely, JJ and his mom :)

ER

Erica Thomas

One of my sons suffers from a variety of developmental and psychological disorders. Our therapist had him placed at Lakeland in their acute program. This experience was wonderful. The therapist at Lakeland and his assigned social worker had great communication. The Dr. worked hard on getting him on the right meds. All looked good. He discharged and came home. 5 days later he had to go back into acute (we were not able to get the meds he was prescribed, the insurance co denied them). This visit was horrible. They did not pull his record from his previous stay, did not get him back on his meds, they did not communicate well. They put him on meds without my permission. He did not improve in acute this time (surprise) so he went to residential (a choice I made). The staff there were even worse. They placed him in a ward that he did not belong in, there was even less communication, there were still issues trying to get them to look at his patient history and treat him with the meds they had originally put him on. He was mistreated and not taken care of. Upon visiting his room, he had dirty sheets, no personal items, he had a rash, and the nurse blamed it on him rather than offer to get an ointment to treat it. The expectations are beyond what my son can produce, and they acknowledge that and are okay with it. I brought my son books and the nurse would not let him see them. I inquired because my son had said another patient pushed him in a corner and punched him in the face. The staff member did not acknowledge my concern or offer to look into the issue. She said my son had gone into the other room, cussed at the other patient for no reason, shut their door, went back in, and then they got in an altercation. I asked if she could look into it and see he had been punched and she kept on as though she had faith in her story before mine. My sons hair, as short as it is (less than a 1/2) was matted to his head, as though he stayed in bed all day and did not do anything. Overall the vibe I got from the staff upon my visit (and all other communication I had) was no one felt like anything was their job. I get they put up with a lot, and there may be a lot of tough cases, but I am so disappointed in how this last experience was. I was so hopeful that we had found a place to help my son. I do not believe having my son at this location will improve him or help him. He may stabilize, but he will not get better. If that is the case I can keep him stable at home. I will just continue to try and find a place to help make him better.

D

D St83onser

The decision to place a child into treatment is not an easy one. Any involved parent who has considered this knows that such a thing is not a spontaneous response to poor behavior. When the time came to look at options for my teenage son, I researched as much as I could. I read reviews, met with staff, talked with those in the field who have experienced placement with various agencies. Lakeland came highly rated (aside from the obviously bitter and perhaps comments by those without full knowledge of the situations) by almost everyone who knew it. There were other facilities rated well also, but due to location and circumstances, I felt somewhat at ease placing my child into their care. I was able to visit and see the facility, which is actually maintained very well. Most of the environment is renovated, and of course there were a few things less than perfect, but any place housing several teenage boys is going to have a little dirt and bruises here and there. My sons stay proved difficult for much of the time. The first few months, I was concerned about his well-being and wished there was somehow more communication. But as time progressed I realized that I had access to the staff. The nurses were remarkable in letting me call and ask questions; they knew my son, and treated him as though they genuinely cared. The manager was outstanding, and when I could speak with him, I knew that he had my sons best interest in mind - even when my son made some reprehensible decisions. Long-term treatment is no vacation, for the family, the patient, or the staff. I cant imagine what it must be like to serve such a troubled population every day; even as a parent, I needed help with just my own son. So I commend the staff, and the psychiatrist didnt offer medications without knowing what he was doing. The staff explained to me the reason for them and were understanding of my hesitation. Nothing was offered that wasnt brought to my attention first. My biggest wish would be to have a little more interaction with the therapist. I know that they must have full caseloads, but I think that is the one thing that would have made those first months a little less trying on my emotions. But overall, I am so very grateful for Lakeland, and for the quality of care that they offer. My son has been out for some time now, and we still have our struggles, but I dont think we would have come this far and had this much hope without the help of some remarkably compassionate people at Lakeland. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.