UofL Health – Peace Hospital — Attraction in Louisville

I've been here 3 times in my life, once when I was 12, another when I was 15 and the last when I was 18. The first visit was voluntary, I knew I needed help and I was willing to receive it. I was treated sub-human. I was starved, wrongly medicated, and physically restrained even when I was just sitting in the common area playing cards with some other girls from my ward. After 2 weeks they told my mom there was nothing they could do, and they let me go. I swore I would never go back after that. However, my mental health got dangerously low once again and after an attempt to take my life my mom forced me back in. This was a terrible mistake, the only good thing that came from this visit was that I lost over 10lbs in a week. This last year I got to the lowest I've ever been, I was terrified for my own safety and the only place that took my insurance? OLOP. I went in with an open mind, hoping things would be different. I was right, it was different. This last time I was treated like a human being, the nurses were the sweetest I've known and I wasnt having the nightmares I normally did while in this place. However there are some things that could definitely still be improved on. If you remember high school lunches, how disgusting and unhealthy they were, how small portions you got? That is what the food is like here. But I am glad they dont have the level system for behaviour to determine your food for the adult ward, I'm not sure if it has been removed for the children's ward. Another thing that needs to be changed are the doctors level of knowledge. I was put on a medicine for substance abuse for self harm, after leaving and finding a knowledgeable psych, he was dumbfounded that a doctor would put me on this pointless medicine. They also, while I was in there, took me off all of my normal medications. Medications that have absolutely terrible withdrawal symptoms. They even took me off my medicine to manage my autism meltdowns. Thank goodness I was only there for 2 days. Yes, you read that correctly. I was in there for suicidal thoughts and they kept me for 2 days and told me theres nothing wrong with me just because I didn't act out.

Before you decide to send a loved on here for treatment or before you admit yourself, I encourage you to read through these reviews. From being there 3 times, twice voluntarily, I can assure you that most of these reviews have a lot of truth in them. Even those that have been written from a patient upset they were locked up, this is how we, people with mental illnesses or disabilities, experienced this place.

I wish you / your loved one the best on their road to recovery, everyone deserves...

The help I received here is why I'm still alive today. The organization is ran very well with top notch nurses, techs, & doctors. Dr. Afaq is a very good psychiatrist who is very intelligent & actually listens to his patients. The art therapist, Meghan, is very calming & good at what she does. She can make anyone an artist by helping decipher & learn from what we are working on. She is able to see things in the incredibly abstract that are subconscious needs the brain is trying to get out. Nelson who runs unit 2E is very good. Magenta & all the nurse techs are very kind & compassionate. My social worker, Josh, was genuinely caring. I knew he wanted to help me. I had to be transferred from 1S (a unit for very psychotic patients. It was the only bed available. Those 3 days were tough, but I was moved to the proper unit as soon as a bed was available) & Josh followed me, as did Dr. Afaq & my APRN. I was grateful I didn't have to move to all new staff with the completely different change of units. That definitely helped keep me stable. The music therapy group leaders were wonderful. I experienced them, as well as Meghan, on both units, & they knew how to handle the different types of patients very well. I found all of the groups incredibly helpful & rarely missed a group after my first few days when I rarely left my room.

The safety & security I felt I had here was exactly what was needed. I listened to several other patients state that The Brook was way better, however their reasons did not make me feel safe. Apparently, at The Brook, you're allowed to go outside & smoke (I knew of several high elopement risks. This didn't sound safe). The Brook apparently has a gym & weight lifting, a pool table, & video games. All of this sounded like weapons to me, & none of us on either unit I experienced needed to have those things available.

There was a genuine sense of community on unit 2E. We bonded & I made several friends with which I know I will always be in contact. We did movie nights & played card games. It's hard to imagine, but, in my darkest hour, I made friends that I'm so grateful to have met. We all helped each other, no matter what. The comradery we developed was very important. To put it simply, we laughed & smiled together. That was a huge deal to all of us.

I would highly recommend the treatment offered at Peace. I did not encounter a staff member that wasn't compassionate & kind. I wish I remembered all the names. My 10 days here saved my life, end of story; but my story goes on thanks to so many kind,...

My daughter was released from this place last week, September 17, 2014. She had been admitted on September 4, 2014, she was sucidial and has Asperger's. We waited for 7.5 hours just to be evaluated. Then another 2 hours for the doctor to return the staff's page, and give the okay to admit. Once my daughter was admitted they instantly came and took her from us, not one person went over any rules, regulations, phone calls, visits, etc. The next morning I had to call them to see how things went throught the night. Her first week was not so bad, they had stopped all of her medications and the doctor called to explain to me why. Second week, the social worker calls me, she kept referring to my daughter as a "He" then would call her the wrong name!! My daughter was there 2 weeks before the social worker ever meet my daughter. There was many other "Small" issues that I won't go into, I was use the space for the major NO NO! On September 16 we had family threapy and the threapist told me that my daughter was no way shape or form ready to go home, and she was going to recommened that she be transferred to another unit for a longer stay. She agreed that the medications the doctor had put my daughter on were not working well. Then around 9 am the NEXT DAY the same social worker calls me to tell me they are releasing my daughter at 2pm that day! She said, "Oh no Mrs. * you must have miss understood me yestereday so and so is doing so well and she has earned the right to go home! Over the next few days I kept calling Dr. Chibbers (her doctor there) to tell him that my daughter was severely drugged and could not stay awake. He would never return any of my calls. Then yesterday my daughter said her head felt funny and she was weak. I took her to our local emergency room, and told them her medications. The doctor about fainited when he heard that my 70 lb. 12 year old was on 4mg. of Clonodine a day! He said 2.5 to 3mg is as high as you ever go for a full grown adult, let alone with other "Strong" medications like they had her on. He told me that my daughers blood pressure was very low was why she felt that way and to stop the meds right away. The ER doctor also tried to get in contact with Dr. Chibbers to no avail. I WILL NEVER EVER send my child back to that hell hole, and I wouldn't recommend anyone to send...