GENERAL PROGRAMS
ADULT SERVICES
Adult Services provides extended psychiatric treatment to both men and women, 18 years of age and older, with serious and persistent mental illness. The service is divided into acute and transitional units. The acute units provide surroundings of physical protection with close supervision for individuals whose symptoms are significantly interfering with their ability to function. The transitional units, which are less restrictive, use a system of increasing privileges, to permit independent access to hospital services and activities while still providing a therapeutic environment.
Acute Services admits both males and females, 18 years of age and older. The acute units provide comprehensive and compassionate care for adults with acute exacerbations of mental illness. The focus of the unit is on symptom stabilization, education and discharge planning.
YOUTH SERVICES
Youth Services provides treatment for children and adolescents, ages 7 – 17 with severe emotional or behavioral disturbances. A wide range of therapeutic modalities, especially behavior management and family intervention, are utilized in close concert with Special School District #1, the hospital based school program.
CHALLENGES
Challenges is a day treatment program serving children and adolescents providing intense outpatient services which can, in some cases, prevent hospitalization. The program also serves as an effective transitional program for youth returning to their school and community post hospitalization. Through a collaborative agreement, the St. Tammany Parish School Board transports youth who live in St. Tammany Parish to and from the program.
DNP (DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROPSYCHIATRIC PROGRAM)
Inpatient and Outpatient services
DNP – Inpatient Services (DNP-IS) is a 20-bed adolescent unit, serving youth from 13 to 17 years of age. Youth eligible for DNP services have co-occurring disorders; a serious psychiatric disorder combined with a developmental or learning disorder. Additionally, these are youth who have not responded to other types of mental health treatment including multiple hospitalizations, day treatment and outpatient services. Most DNP-IS clients remain with the program between 6 and 18 months, with the average length of stay being over one year. Gradual, as opposed to abrupt, transition to the community is emphasized to ease the stressors associated with change and decrease the risk of destabilization post-discharge. Many DNP inpatients participate in a community school trial before discharge, in which they attend and display success in local public schools, with DNP staff present, before re-entering their home schools. Some older adolescents also participate in a hospital work program targeting vocational skills. Following treatment, most youth are discharged to family homes (parents, relatives, or foster families).
DNP Outpatient Services (DNP-OS) is a community treatment program that provides outpatient services to persons aged 2 to 22 who are dually diagnosed with a developmental disability and psychiatric disorder and who reside in Region 1, MHSA, FPHSA, or JPHSA. This program is located in New Orleans and provides intensive community-based, specialized, comprehensive and empirically driven behavioral, stabilization, maintenance, rehabilitation and treatment to clients and their families.
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