Laurelwood

“My dad was transferred to Laurelwood to be in a controlled environment while doctors changed medications that affect the brain. I had to call multiple times a day to get basic updates on his plan of care or well-being. One day I called for an update and was told he was discharging the same day, despite me not having the "family session" yet. Staff answering the phone were generally very short and unpleasant to deal with. Nurses rarely had any kind of answers for my questions (even regarding basic care). After discharge, I went to help my dad unpack his duffle bag and realized ALL of his clothes were missing. I called the next morning, assuming they were misplaced and I could pick them up. I was told Laurelwood had no idea what happened to them. They later told me they could see on camera from his first day that he placed his belongings in bedside furniture, but after a full investigation they could not see what happened after this. I still don't know how a camera showing items being placed into a piece of furniture doesn't show them coming back out of the furniture at some point. Since I could not visit my dad, I did not realize that he was wearing the same outfit for his entire stay there (over a week). I was told by NGHS that a manger/staff from Laurelwood would contact me about the investigation, but of course that did not happen. From a safety standpoint, it's concerning a mental hospital has no idea what happened to an entire duffle bag worth of items - many of which included drawstrings. The only reason I am giving a second star to this review is because one of his therapists, Mary Lou, was fantastic and called me in her free time to discuss progress, plan of care, and discharge preparations. All things that I could never get help with from anyone else there. My dad's only complaint about his stay there was the staff being rude and not having clear rules/expectations for new patients to understand. I know options are limited when needing a facility like this, but if you have another option, I would try there first. As a medical professional myself, I was disappointed in multiple facets of this experience. P.s - my request of reimbursement for the lost items was denied immediately.”

“Horrible experience with the night time staff. I was told no so many times. I found a switch blade knife lying open in my bathroom the maintenance man had accidentally forgot. Even when I tried to report this very sharp blade in my pocket was trying to give it to the staff member only to be told "as long as it doesn't involve me idc. That's when I pulled it out my pocket and showed him what I was talking about. There's a few good ones there but not enough. The bad out weighes the good at this place. Very scary”

“As a mom sending your child to a place like this is terrifying and reading the reviews spikes your anxiety. My 15yr old daughter was admitted here a week ago. My daughter said they were really nice to her there’s a mix with the nurses. The therapist and psychiatrist that were seeing her were very nice and communicated very good with me. The first day she was there I was so scared of how she was being treated I called to get an update on her and the nurse called me back and reassured me she was doing good. Obviously it’s a journey but I thank God she was cared for in here.”

“I have no idea how good of a place this is, but the lack of empathy of the phone answering staff and who ever answers the phone is the lowest tier, I had the displeasure of speaking with a Lisa who not only cut me off but disregarded the entirety of the call. When parents deliver them to the hospital and it's either Laurelwood or a transfer to another facility, and you can't reach the person being admitted or the parents that transported him there, the staff could at minimum be cordial instead of nasty and off putting. You would've thought I asked for HER social security number. I understand Patient Rights and Laws, but common decency doesn't cross that line.”