St. Joseph's Health Hospital Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Room

“I was brought here involuntarily after a crisis session with a counselor. dirty place with very unprofessional and inattentive staff. the guy that was supposed to be watching me in the waiting room was watching basketball videos on his phone and eating snacks while the staff audibly laughed and joked with each other in the other room. the staff also did not understand me half of the time and I had to constantly repeat myself (I do not have any speech conditions.) it was very clear that nobody would help me here, and I was discharged within 4 hours. overall, I feel significantly worse than I did before being dragged here. do NOT come here willingly…”

“Completely incompetent. Family member admitted with severe anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. They had us bring in all of his prescription bottles so they could administer his usual daily meds (okay, no problem). Next day they call me and discuss whats been going on and tell me that when he is eventually discharged all medications including otc medications should be locked up since there is a risk there considering the suicidal thoughts. Again, okay, no problem. The following day, I get a call from him notifying me that they are discharging him and to come pick him up. No one from CPEP called to notify of his discharge. I arrive and he is downstairs by the security desk just standing there with a bag of his clothes and his entire bag of prescriptions. How do you just discharge someone without insuring they have someone to pick them up? How do you let someone with suicidal thoughts walk out the door with an entire bag of prescription medications?”

“i went here in 2018, i was 11 years old. and it was hell. my staff were mean, barely saw a psychiatrist at all, nor did they actually believe me. i was put on random medication without any mentions of what they are and what their for. i thought one was for sleep for years before i figured out it was for adhd. i wasn’t even told i was going there, not that it’s cpep’s fault, my elementary illegally searched me, but it just made it worse. once my pod got full they literally just put the kids on mattresses and chairs in the lobby. the only good thing about my stay there was the kids i made friends with. i hope they are okay.”

“There was one nurse on the BHU unit who literally talked shit about the patients in front of other patients and family members to another staff sitting in the hallway… If I had gotten her name I would report her. HIPPA Gets violated to the max there. This was in the area where they make you change into a gown and pants and not even on the unit, can’t imagine how patients get treated once they are fully admitted to this unit…The lady I am referring to was working yesterday(1/13/2026) around 4/4:30 pm, long brown straight hair, kind of a bigger girl maybe 5’3ish in height, white- she should not be a health care worker especially in a unit like that. She is the type of health care professional who makes people mental health worse. Like who talks shit about a patient battling mental health problems to a co worker in front of other patients and their family members, she should be fired and not be working in health care… on top of that you could hear everything they were doing and asking patients because they don’t respect privacy there and couldn’t have the decency to close the door while evaluating a patient. That place seems and felt like a joke and didn’t feel like they truly cared. People are at their lowest and these “professionals” have the audacity to treat people that way…. Do better, life is hard enough!”