• New State of the Art Laboratory Technology at Laurel Regional Hospital
• LAUREL REGIONAL HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT RECEIVES HEALTHSTREAM RESEARCH EXCELLENCE THROUGH INSIGHT AWARD
• Laurel Regional Hospital Emergency Department Renovation and Expansion Project $675,000 Grant and Construction Contract Approved By The Board of Public Works

Dimensions and the Community

The Dimensions Behavioral Healthcare Community Advisory Board includes representatives of the advocacy community, individuals, local and county governmental entities, and behavioral health agencies. The board reviews program plans, consumer satisfaction results, patient information materials, and provides input into programs at all points across the continuum.

Sexual Assault Center

The Sexual Assault Center is located at Prince George's Hospital Center. It was established in 1975 to meet the growing demand for special services to victims of sexual assault and abuse. The Center treats persons of all ages and both sexes. The philosophy of the Sexual Assault Center is that the victim is never to blame for the assault or the abuse. Counselors work to help victims regain control of their lives and to adjust to this difficult trauma.

Post trauma counseling is available to offer support and assistance to victims in crisis. The center also offers support to anyone who plays an important role in the lives of the victims. These services are provided free of charge through a variety of grant funds.

The center provides medical forensic examinations to assist in the investigation of sexual assault related crimes, when appropriate, and works with police, the Department of Social Services and the State's Attorney's Office to assist the victim through investigative and legal processes.

The center provides educational services that are free of charge to all Prince George's County residents.

The center also provides victim advocacy.

For more information on the Sexual Assault Center please contact 301-618-3154.

Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient Programs

Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) at Laurel Regional Hospital and Prince George's Hospital Center offer individual, group, and family therapy, expressive and occupational therapies and psycho-education in an alternative, structured treatment setting. The program offers the structure of a psychiatric program while allowing patients to go home in the evening to remain connected with their family, friends and other support systems. Due to the nature of this program, it can shorten a hospital stay or provide the intervention necessary to avoid hospitalization. PHP services are up to six hours per day, five days per week.

• Groups are designed to provide individuals the resources required to return to their community, family, work and education.
• Flexibility is built into the program so that individuals can attend specific groups, and "step down" to intensive outpatient services. A variety of options for frequency and duration of treatment are available based on the individual needs of the patient.
• Case managers work with individuals, family members, community support mechanisms, and psychiatrists to individualize care after discharge.
• Close supervision by staff psychiatrists is provided.
• Coverage for costs of services is provided by most commercial insurance plans and Medicaid and Medicare.
• Referrals are accepted from hospitals, physicians, families, friends and employee assistance programs, self referrals and healthcare providers.
• Local transportation is provided for individuals at the Prince George's Hospital Center PHP.

Emergency Evaluations,

Laurel Regional Hospital and Prince George's Hospital Center provides 24-hour emergency psychiatric assessments. An experienced behavioral health professional along with consultation from physicians and psychiatrists evaluates each person and determines the most appropriate level of care.

Inpatient Unit

Inpatient Behavioral Health Services are offered at Laurel Regional Hospital and Prince George's Hospital Center. The Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment Program consists of a multidisciplinary team of professionals who provide expertise in the treatment of a wide variety of disorders. These range from situational, affective and anxiety disorders, to psychotic illnesses and dual diagnosis. Our voluntary unit (PG Hospital takes involuntary patients as well) operates on the model of a therapeutic community with heavy emphasis on the group process. The unit accepts patients over 16 years old. At Laurel Regional Hospital, patients must be 18 years or older.

Our comprehensive array of inpatient services include:

• Assessment and evaluation
• Individual/group and family therapies
• Recreational and occupational therapies
• Psycho-education

In the locked voluntary inpatient unit, the interdisciplinary staff provides assessment/evaluation, medication adjustment, brief treatment and discharge planning. Specialized case managers work with the patient and payers to provide cost effective treatment. Patients, ranging from 16 to 80+ participate in an individualized, structured program designed to focus on their particular issues. The emphasis of this short-term unit is focused on assessment, stabilization, brief treatment and referral back to the community or to the next appropriate level of care. The family and/or support network of the patient is included as much as possible (If patient consent is given).

A Family Guide to Mental Illness

What is Mental Illness?

People have a tough time understanding the idea of mental illness. Often people think that anything that is out of the ordinary or that cannot be understood is crazy. Through the centuries people have had some very strange ideas about the source and nature of mental illness. Some have thought that it is related to the devil or witchcraft. This couldn't be further from the truth.

Today, after considerable research mental illness has been linked to problems with brain chemistry and signaling systems within the brain. Illnesses of the mind are no different from other illness's. Many medications exist that can help control these problems. The results from these medications range from minimal to significant help.

Beyond major mental illness such as schizophrenia, depression, or bipolar disorder there are a multitude of psychological problems. These may be related to or triggered by major mental illness or they may be learned, a response to life events, or they may be ingrained in the persons personality over time. These types of problems may be seen in a person who is hard to get along with, highly emotional, or the youngster who just won't listen. Feeling badly after failing to get promoted at work or being nervous about speaking to a group of people are forms of psychological reactions to life events. The conventional wisdom is that these types of problems or reactions may be more under the person's control than are the various types of major mental illness.

Just as a person has a reaction to a major illness such as cancer or a heart condition, the person with a major mental illness will have a significant amount of coping and adjustment to undergo. The great complication is that mental illness affects how we think, feel, and act. The pain or distress experienced by a person with mental illness is very different from that experienced by individuals with more of a physical problem or illness. Physical illness often elicits sympathy and concern from others. People's reactions to mental illness can range from insensitivity to anger and hatred. Such reactions only serve to complicate and make the patient's life more difficult.

What is an Emergency?

The Assessment and Stabilization Center at Prince George's Hospital Center and Behavioral Health Specialists at Laurel Regional Hospital are available to help you and your family members in times of a mental health crisis or emergency. The question is often what is an emergency. Routine evaluations for school or medication refills are not considered an emergency. These are better handled with an out patient appointment with a psychiatrist or other mental health professional. Unexplained changes in behavior, threats or threats of harming oneself or others, feeling paranoid or fearful of others, hearing voices that say mean things, worsening problems with friends, work, or family, or an inability to tackle daily tasks can all be considered the basis for a psychiatric emergency.

Hopefully, your family member can be encouraged to seek help on their own. If they will not and they are a danger to themselves or others, threatening to hurt themselves or others or that their action place them in severe danger, you may need to seek an Emergency Commitment Petition. This is a court order requiring an individual to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Law enforcement officers will compel the named person to be evaluated.

What is an Emergency Commitment Petition (ECP)?

An emergency commitment petition or ECP is a court order filed by police or anyone that requires an individual to receive a psychiatric evaluation. An ECP is necessary when it is believed that an individual is a dangerous threat to himself or others. This person may exhibit bizarre behaviors, attempt/threaten to commit suicide and refuses to seek psychiatric treatment. Anyone who has first hand knowledge of an immediate incident in which the individual caused or attempted to cause harm to himself or others should file an ECP on that person.

Any one needing to file an ECP should go to the district court commissioner's office at any time. The interested party can either go to the court commissioner's office in upper Marlboro, 301-952-3414 or Hyattsville, 301-699-2560. Explain your situation and request an ECP form.

Strengthening the Support System

It is important to note that supportive family members are critical to the consumers' recovery. Research has determined that consumers of mental health services function more independently and are more likely to enter the recovery phase, when they have supportive family members or friends. You should know that clients with a major mental health diagnosis can experience recovery. What we mean by recovery is that clients will live a quality life and function in spite of the symptoms that may persist. This of course places less stress on the family members who are concerned about the consumer.

In order for you, the family member to provide the support needed for the consumer, you too may need support. There are organizations in the community created for this purpose. There are times when agencies and hospitals seem to focus so much on the client, that the family members needs seem to go unmet.

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill or NAMI of Prince George's County is the largest or most utilized advocacy and family support organization in the county. Many of the leaders of this organization are family members of consumers of mental health services. The organization publishes a monthly news letter with information regarding the latest research in mental health and updated information on educational programs offered by NAMI. The organization regularly offers three services. The Family to Family Workshops are offered and focus on coping strategies and educating family members. Family members are usually the facilitators of these workshops. Support Groups for family members are held weekly, and Workshops focusing on topics of interest to family members are held monthly. NAMI can be reached at 301-322-1900.

Housing

In some cases it is determined by mental health professionals, the clients and their family members that supervised housing is needed. When this is the case, a referral is made to the Mental Health Authority of the county in which the consumer lives. Once the referral is received, the client is placed on a list until placement becomes available. If your family member is in treatment in an outpatient setting, day program or inpatient setting, the mental health professional working with the client will complete the referral. Unfortunately, there are limited placements available and this process could take 6 months to a year before your family member is placed. We encourage family members to call the Mental Health Authority and advocate for placement for the consumer. It is also important to state that all housing placements are voluntary. The county offers a variety of housing programs, as it recognizes that every client does not need the same level of care. Some of the programs offer 24-hour supervision and others offer day time supervision. There is also supportive housing offered to our clients. Supportive housing is for the client who functions very independently and just needs support in money management, scheduling, etc.

Tips for Family Members

• Develop a working relationship with at least one provider of service for your family member. In any treatment setting there will be a primary contact person for the client and their family member.
• The routine of the home should always remain as normal as possible for everyone in the home.
• It is not helpful to remind your family member that he/she has a mental health condition daily.
• Do not try to convince the client that their delusions or false beliefs are not true.
• As the family member and supportive person for the client, you should also have an outlet that centers around things you enjoy and find helpful. Examples would be forms of entertainment or support groups, friends, etc.
• There are a lot of myths about mental health conditions; therefore, it is important to obtain factual information from mental health care providers(doctors, social workers, nurses)
• Mental health conditions and the prognosis varies depending on the individual's case. If you are aware of another person with the same diagnosis as your family member, please remember that all cases are unique.
• Family members or clients do not cause mental health conditions. No one is to blame!!!!
• It is important to know the behavior that your family member exhibits during the times that he or she may need emergency intervention. Some behaviors may be normal for your family member, but when the behavior is different than the norm, in order to be helpful you should be aware of this.
• When talking with your family member, remember that the skills and abilities he/she had before the mental health condition are still a part of who he is. Try to focus and discuss the strengths of your family member versus the client's limitations due to the mental illness.

Alcoholics Anonymous

Alcoholics Anonymous, AA, is an informal network of men and women who share their experience, problems and help others who are recovering from alcoholism. More than 2,000,000 recovering alcoholics in the U.S., Canada, and other countries are part of AA.

Laurel Regional Hospital offers an AA support group Sundays at 7 p.m. at the hospital. For more information call 301-497-7914.

Prince George's Hospital Center offers an AA support group every Monday at 8 p.m. in the Auditorium. For more information call at 301-618-3858.

For more information on Alcoholics Anonymous visit the national AA website.

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Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder or manic depression is a common illness characterized by recurrent episodes of mania and manic depression. People suffering from Bipolar disorder can have severe mood swings from excessive highs (mania) to profound hopelessness (depression), with periods of normal in between.

Laurel Regional Hospital offers a Bipolar support group every Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information contact Public Relations at 301-497-7914.

For more information on Bipolar Disorder visit the Bipolar Website.

Narcotics Anonymous

Narcotics Anonymous, NA, is a community based association for recovering drug addicts. NA groups meet internationally several times a week to provide support and encouragement for those recovering from narcotic addictions emphasizing rehabilitation and wellness.

NA meets every Monday and Thursday at 7 p.m. at Laurel Regional Hospital. For more information call 301-497-7914.

NA meets every Monday at Prince George's Hospital Center in the Auditorium. For more information call 301-618-3280.

For more information on Narcotics Anonymous visit the NA website.

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