Adult Psychiatric Division
The New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute-Adult Psychiatric Division provides court-ordered and voluntary treatment to individuals suffering from a mental health illness, which has severely impaired their functioning, and their ability to be maintained in the community. It is the most restrictive psychiatric setting in New Mexico.
Family, significant others, and surrogate decision makers are encouraged to and are welcomed participants in the assessment and treatment planning process. Treatment goals and objectives are established collaboratively and inclusive of the patient and their perspective.
Effective treatment includes discussion about aftercare at the onset of each phase of treatment. NMBHI’s Adult Psychiatric Division begins its discussion of discharge planning during the admission interview. This practice supports NMBHI’s philosophy that residential psychiatric treatment is transitional not terminal and is recovery-oriented. The treatment team members utilize best practice models in the delivery of care and of services.
The acute admissions program provides intensive evaluation and assessment leading to prompt and proper treatment for reduction of acute symptomology. The treatment needs are addressed through the assessment of problems/needs, development of an initial treatment plan within the first 24 hours of the time of admission, and stabilization with medications. The continuing care program provides continued assessment and evaluation for those who continue to meet commitment criteria and require a longer period of stabilization. The continued treatment period affords the individual with the opportunity to achieve a greater level of stability, psychosocial rehabilitation, and ongoing monitoring and assistance with prompting within a predictable therapeutic environment. This extended period of rehabilitation increases the likelihood of an individual’s understanding and developing the skills necessary to identify and cope with their symptoms of mental illness and additional time in developing a community reintegration plan that will support community tenure.
Who Provides the Inpatient Care?
A Team Approach to
Comprehensive Evaluation,
Diagnosis and Treatment
The inpatient treatment team will be responsible for each patient’s individual needs and for the overall unit-specific treatment milieu. This inpatient treatment team is made up of staff from the following disciplines: Psychiatry, Nursing, Social Work, Rehabilitation Therapy Services, and Psychology. Other departments, such as Medicine and Nutrition Services are also actively working with each patient in the hospital.
An extensive admission interview occurs with the evaluating clinician and the preliminary clinical information is used to complete the initial treatment plan. Other team members complete a discipline-specific assessment within 72 hours and these assessments are then utilized in developing a master treatment plan with the participation of the patient within 14 days from the date of admission. This time period allows the team to become more familiar with the patient's particular strengths and individual treatment needs while identifying discharge criteria that will continue to be assessed throughout the course of treatment.
The Psychiatrist is responsible for leading the treatment team, and identifies the interventions needed to address the patient’s psychiatric needs and concerns. The psychiatrist and family practice physician complete an initial assessment, prescribe medication, other tests or treatment that need to be performed and review the individual's progress in meeting treatment goals.
Nursing staff will monitor the status of the patient and coordinate treatment interventions to ensure that care is provided. They maintain responsibility for a safe and therapeutic environment, supporting, supervising, and teaching patients self-care, providing individual and group treatment, medication education and administration as well as implementing physician orders. Nursing staff help patients process their moods and feelings, and communicate the progress of the patient to the rest of the team.
The Psychologist has the responsibility for facilitating the clinical discussion and formulation of the treatment plan. The psychologist is responsible for providing individual or group therapy to address common issues that are experienced by patients with mental illness. For example, the development of coping, communication and social skills, anger management and substance abuse education are some of the more common areas covered in therapeutic groups. Psychologists perform evaluations to help clarify a diagnosis or assist in determining the treatment approach that should be used. Psychology staff may develop the individualized behavior management plans and provide necessary training to the treatment team.
The Social Worker on the unit is responsible for assuring that all family members and significant community service providers are notified of treatment team staffings, and encourage their input into the treatment/discharge plan. Family and community service providers are strongly encouraged to maintain their involvement with the patient throughout their stay in the hospital, since they are the primary link to a successful discharge. The Social Worker is charged with planning and coordinating the return of the patient to the community following discharge (discharge planning). Some of the services they work to coordinate include: case management and medication, medical care, housing, and other benefits.
The Treatment Plan Coordinators serve as a consultant to the multidisciplinary treatment teams and ensure that the treatment plans developed by the treatment teams meet all standards and specifically address the behaviors which admitted the patient to the most restrictive level of psychiatric care. They assist in the timely review of treatment plans and updating the treatment process for the identification of medical necessity for continued psychiatric care. They assist the team psychologist in the development of behavior management plans and assist with staff training if deemed necessary.
Rehabilitation Services are provided by Recreational Therapists. Rehabilitation staff assist patients in learning the community living skills needed to assist them in successful community reintegration. These services focus primarily on home management, use of leisure time, fitness, and social skill development. Opportunities are provided to apply skills learned in day-to-day activities (e.g. walks, dances, art and music, exercise, etc).
The hospital Patient Advocate is available to speak with the patient and/or interested parties throughout the course of the hospitalization. The patient advocate will assist in bridging communication between the patient and treatment team and will provide mediation in an attempt to resolve communication and or treatment issues or concerns. The Patient Advocate is available to the patient and next of kin through discharge. At the time of discharge the Patient Advocate can assist the patient and if the patient so desires in completing a satisfaction survey. The completion of such survey is optional and is not a requirement for discharge. The survey is sent directly to NMBHI’s Standards and Compliance Division and the feedback affords NMBHI-APD Management Team in identifying opportunities for improvement.
What happens after the hospitalization?
The planning for the discharge of the patient begins at the time of admission by identifying family and community resources, which will be available to support the patient's transition back into the community, once the illness is stabilized. Throughout the patient's stay all efforts will be made to keep family and community involvement active. For those patients who do not have the family or community supports, the treatment team will work with community agencies to assure those supports are in place during the patients hospitalization and, in particular, at the time of discharge. At times the community supports necessary are non-existent in the community of origin, it is in those instances that the treatment team will work with the patient in obtaining the most appropriate and available local supports. NMBHI-Adult Psychiatric Division will continue be a support to the patient — even post-discharge. The patient and/or support network may elicit consultation with the treatment team or other professional staff at any time. We will be here to assist with advocacy, linkage and support as patients integrate into their community