CalvertHealth is improving the
behavioral health services it
offers the community with a
recent change to how patients
can be admitted to the Partial
Hospitalization Program (PHP).
Patients can now be directly
admitted instead of having to go
to the Emergency Department for
evaluation prior to admission.
“We get many, many calls from people
who ask us about partial day treatment
options,” said Director of Behavioral
Health Laura Webb, RN-BC, MSN. She
continued, “It’s a vital service for those
who need mental health services beyond
regular therapy or counseling, but
don’t require 24/7 inpatient treatment.”
Patients in the PHP take part in the
program during the day and return home
in the late afternoon.
Through its partnership with
Sheppard Pratt, CalvertHealth
launched direct admission capability
for the program, allowing patients to
bypass the emergency department,
which Webb noted can be particularly
scary for adolescents and even adults.
Localizing Mental Health Care
In addition to the PHP program, CalvertHealth operates the only adolescent
behavioral health unit in Southern Maryland. The adolescent inpatient unit
has six beds, which is completely separate from the 14-bed adult unit with
different staffing and programming. According to Webb, the demand for
inpatient adolescent services is very high.
The adolescent unit is a general psychiatric unit where patients can
be treated for a variety of diagnoses including substance abuse, anxiety,
depression, bipolar disorder, adjustment disorders and more.
“We see a lot of early addiction issues in teenagers along with
psychiatric issues and substance abuse - a lot of anxiety, a lot of trauma,”
Webb said. She added that she and the team see a wide variety of people -
some very affluent and others that are struggling financially. “CalvertHealth
accepts everyone no matter what their circumstances are in life. So, our
patient makeup here in the adolescent behavioral health unit is a reflection
of that.”
The small unit sizes allow providers to really get to know patients
and their families and that makes CalvertHealth special. “Our treatment
approach is far from authoritarian – it’s a partnership between patients,
medical providers, and families,” said Webb. She added, “Patients are
treated in a non-stigmatized way, while having rules and guidelines for
safety. We meet our patients where they are. It’s warm, friendly and loving.
I’m just so proud of the work we are doing here.”
Behavioral Health RESOURCES
National Alliance on Mental Illness:
NAMI.org
800.950.NAMI (6264)
info@nami.org
facebook.com/NAMI
Crisis Text Line:
Text NAMI to 741741
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
800.273.TALK (8255)
National Domestic Violence Hotline:
800.799.SAFE (7233)
National Sexual Assault Hotline:
Call 800.656.HOPE (4673)
Crisis Intervention Center of Calvert County:
975 Solomons Island Road
Prince Frederick, MD 20678
410.257.2216
Calvert County Crisis Hotline:
410.535.1121
Charles County Crisis Hotline:
301.645.3336
St. Mary’s County Crisis Hotline:
301.863.6661
TTY - 301.863.6664
Maryland Youth Crisis Hotline:
1.800.422.0009
National Suicide Prevention Hotline:
DIAL 988
1.800.273.TALK (8255)
TTY - 1.800.799.4889
Calvert County CPS:
443.550.6900
National Center on Elder Abuse:
ncea.acl.gov
Online Emotional Support:
7cups.com