Sheppard Pratt - Towson Campus

“The staff at Sheppard Pratt have been consistently unprofessional in my experience. On multiple occasions when calling to speak with a patient, I was met with a curt tone, interrupted, and placed on hold without any explanation. What’s even more concerning is that this does not appear to be an isolated incident. Other family members and callers have reported being placed on hold for extended periods (15+ minutes) and then having their calls abruptly disconnected without explanation. If a patient is unavailable or there are communication restrictions, that should be clearly communicated. Repeatedly placing callers on hold and disconnecting calls creates unnecessary stress for families trying to check on their loved ones. For a facility that provides mental health care, a higher level of professionalism, communication, and empathy should be expected. unfortunately, my experience has not reflected that standard. UPDATE: Since posting my original review, the situation has not improved. In fact, it has worsened. I have called an additional five times and still have not been able to speak with my friend at Sheppard Pratt. At the time of writing this, I have been on hold for over an hour with no communication whatsoever. This is completely unacceptable. If the patient is unavailable, staff should at the very least return to the line and communicate that, or advise when to call back. Instead, callers are left on hold indefinitely or disconnected without explanation. This appears to be a consistent pattern, not a one-time issue. Additionally, please do not respond to this review with a generic message directing me to contact patient advocacy. I have already sent a detailed email outlining these concerns and am currently awaiting a response. If I do not receive one within the timeframe I specified, I will be proceeding with filing a formal complaint.”

“My experience at Sheppard Pratt was incredibly frustrating and disappointing. I went there during one of the most hardest moments of my life, expecting support, and real help. The lack of clear communication made everything worse. When you’re struggling so bad mentally, the last thing you need is to feel unheard or misunderstood but it’s something I felt often by the staff. During a staff talk I mention my urges to self- harm which I had previously done in the bathroom the staff made a joke out of it stating “let me see your playing face, let me see your joking face because I think your lying”. I think Basic empathy and support should not be optional in a mental health hospital. Fights happened everyday in the waterfall unit, which staff didn’t seem prepared or looked like they didn’t know how to break up the fight instead they called for a code green every time. Sleeping in those rooms were hard not only because of the rooms there self but you can often hear staff talking right outside your door or staff yelling “call the code green” for patients not sleeping and coming out of there rooms. And dong get me started on the food, 2/10… the cleanliness of the rooms and bathroom was lacked and I often saw bloody pads laying around with dirty underwear. I got accused of doing something inappropriate with another patient when another patient went and told on us for something we didn’t do and instead of taking the time to review cameras and hear our story they instead believed the other mentally ill patient side, which we were than put on a 10 foot. Most days consisted of lock downs which is where we stay in our rooms and it was the worst if you didn’t have a roommate in your room, you would be bored out of your mind. The white walls, and small bed in a big room is all you have to entertain yourself. I understand that hospitals are busy but that doesn’t excuse making patients feel invisible. You signed up for the job, work to the expectation that you signed up for. Mental health care requires patience, compassion, and genuine human support and that was not consistently my experience here. I hope serious changes are made so others don’t leave feeling more frustrated than supported.”

“Here I endured the most traumatic experience of my life in the girls adolescent inpatient unit for 2 weeks (15 years old) !! I was transferred from the ER after having a life threatening anxiety attack to the Towson Sheppard Pratt inpatient. Though I was extremely depressed and anxious, admissions decided to place me in a unit with girls that had mostly anger/behaviorial issues and criminal records such as being on probation. After first arriving, the female security staff aggressively ripped off my clothing and forced me in the appropriate clothes while shouting at me. I thought we would be getting therapy since this was a psych ward, but no.. Staff thought it was acceptable to swear with kids in a joking manner as if they were friends. Unfortunately a girl attempted suicide in her room because of the staff. Fights occured daily, even twice a day, and the staff watched and laughed as the kids fought and appeared as they didn’t know how to or try to break up the fights until security came. Fights ended up in the girls giving eachother black eyes and bruises. I was being bullied by the girls the entire 2 weeks, the staff did nothing, and then ended up being jumped a few days before leaving. I don’t blame the patients because they were also in this horrible situation.. The problem with it was I repeatedly asked them to call my parents to let them know I had been in a fight, to find out they never contacted my parents. I had to tell them in visiting hours… this showed them the severity of how terrible this place is. I begged to leave. This place is awful. Parents, PLEASE just take your kids to therapy, this place will worsen your childs condition. In short they provide NO therapy, are severely understaffed, will not transfer them into the correct units (ie; keep a depressed child stay in the anger management behavioral unit), allow staff which are underqualified to not only talk badly + weirdly innapropriately about patients amongst other staff but also in front of the children, will have kids stay for months upwards in the crisis units, and encourage bullying and DAILY fights, which they do not notify the parents if your child got into a fight.”

“AVOID THIS HOSPITAL!!! IF YOU KNOW OF A GOOD ATTORNEY… LET ME KNOW. TRAUMATIZED IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. 1) I was refused the right to practice my faith by this institution that receives federal funds. Though I requested to leave within 2 hours of my arrival, I was made to stay 72 hours without access to my religious articles that I use DAILY. I asked multiple staff AND the provider that saw me. I was asked by the provider if I was able to have my articles to practice my faith (I identify as an unorthodox Christian) would I consider staying and I said absolutely because I NEEDED to be inpatient. I was made to miss my daily devotional practice for the ENTIRE 3 days. AND every time I would ask for an update, I was questioned as to what my faith was. However, Christian or Satanist, the right to practice my religion freely is a Constitutional right. 2) I was made to sleep in a room that was not cleaned and properly sanitized before I was given the room. There was the pungent smell of urine BEFORE and AFTER their “environmental services” cleaned. I had to sleep with the smell for 2 1/2 days of my 72 hour stay. I am a human trafficking survivor who, as a teenager, was beaten and urinated on. The emotional pain and additional trauma that was caused is immeasurable. 3) I was denied a hair care product that I brought with me, even under direct supervision. I was unable to comb my hair for 72 hours which was dehumanizing and added to the additional pain that was already being inflicted. 4) The food was CONSISTENTLY served cold by the time it got to the unit I was on. I missed SEVERAL meals due to the fear that I would get sick due to the temps that “hot” food was served at. I worked in food service for almost 25 years and I know what food outside of safe temperatures feels like. No thermometer needed. They didn’t check temperatures from what I could see. 5) The dining area where food was eaten was ALWAYS disgusting. When I mentioned it to staff, I was told that I was more than welcome to a broom. Excuse me… I came here to work on my mental health… not to do chores. If it was expected for the residents to clean, it should have been made clear. That was not the case. A piece of food sat on the floor the entire time I was there. 6) I was made to basically beg for my chronic pain medication EVEN THOUGH I brought in ALL my prescriptions so that they could have the prescription, dosage AND prescriber’s information to verify. I can’t imagine the pain I would have experienced if I hadn’t left when I did. Sitting through back to back groups totaling about 2 hours with degenerative disc disease was excruciating and added to the total dehumanization I felt. 7) When having vitals taken with equipment that touched EVERY patient, I was curious as to why there was no sanitation between use. I was told that I had to REQUEST it to be sanitized. In post COVID USA? Absolutely not. 8) I was told in the presence of my provider that the outpatient and inpatient Sheppard Pratt do not have a EHR system that is used to promote seamless continuity of care. I drove OVER 1.5 hours one way to go to this hospital after over a week of planning with my local providers with the outpatient clinic and making calls to the hospital. I was first told that I didn’t meet inpatient criteria. When my provider attempted to intercede and get me admitted, I was made to wait in a Baltimore ER for 6 hours and then had to spend the night there to be transferred. There was no need for me to have an emergency room visit or need medical transport for an inpatient program that I WAS SENT TO BY A SHEPPARD PRATT PROVIDER. I strongly advise just skipping this one. Been crazy since I was 17 and have voluntarily checked in over 15+ times in the last 21 years at maybe 9 different hospitals. This is BY FAR the worst and most dangerous place I have ever been to. Not because there were volatile mental health patients… but due to negligence and the absolute disregard for safety, constitutionally protected activities and the need for parents to feel safe in hospital settings.”