Community Hospital Long Beach Behavioral Health Unit

Behavioral Health Unit

at Community Hospital Long Beach

The Behavior Health Unit at Community Hospital Long Beach offers an extensive range of psychiatric services to provide treatment for individuals suffering from acute emotional and psychological problems. As a service of Community Hospital Long Beach, part of MemorialCare Health System, patients also have access to one of the area's top emergency departments and comprehensive health care services.

Our professional staff is comprised of a multidisciplinary treatment team including psychiatrists, internal medicine physicians, psychologists, registered nurses (RN), licensed vocational nurses (LVN), licensed psychiatric technicians (LPT), behavioral health workers, marriage and family therapists, licensed clinical social workers, Masters and Bachelorsprepared (MSW and BSW) social workers, discharge planners, intake coordinators, music therapists, and dance/movement therapists.

Inpatient treatment services offered at the Behavioral Health Unit include:

• Individual Therapy
• Group Therapy
• Chemical Dependency Education
• Music Therapy
• Dance/Movement Therapy
• Life Skills Training
• Nutrition
• Medical Education
• Family Therapy
• Pet Therapy

Psychiatric Emergency Team

The mobile crisis team is available to triage, evaluate and, if appropriate, refer patients directly to the Behavioral Health Unit. Our on-call team can be dispatched to locations within the greater Long Beach area. Our Psychiatric emergency team responds to requests for mobile psychiatric services within minutes of the initial referral.

Intake Department

Our intake team provides new patients with a confidential assessment, and develops an individualized treatment plan for each patient. The Behavioral Health Unit emphasizes the hospital's patient- and family-centered care approach, so patients and their families are encouraged to participate fully in the treatment process. Our intake staff is available 24/7 to consult with physicians and first responders to handle referrals to the Behavioral Health Unit and dispatch the psychiatric emergency team.

Psychiatric Acute Treatment Program

The Psychiatric Acute Treatment Program provides a secure environment for the rapid assessment, intensive observation, and treatment for acute psychiatric patients who are experiencing severe symptoms that prevent them from being able to care for themselves and function safely in the community. This care is provided in an environment that respects patients and supports their strengths and identified goals.

Psychiatric Inpatient Program

The Psychiatric Inpatient Program provides intensive psychiatric care to voluntary adult patients with acute psychiatric disorders. Patients will be included as much as possible in the decision-making process of determining individual treatment plans. The patient's needs are continually assessed by a multidisciplinary team including physicians, psychiatric nurses, social workers and rehabilitation therapists.

Admission Criteria

The Behavioral Health Unit at Community Hospital Long Beach can admit patients who require care for the following conditions:

• Voluntary patients who have been determined by a psychiatrist to require 24-hour nursing care to safely provide psychiatric treatment.
• Patients on involuntary detention (5150, 5250); those on LPS conservatorship, who are a danger to self, others; or those who are gravely disabled by virtue of a mental disorder.