Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Office — Local services in Happy Valley

I have been struggling with addiction constantly for over 15 years. Acknowledging my problem and making the decision to enroll my self in a rehabilitation program was one of the hardest things I had ever done. I learned very quickly that to be successful in a program like this or to gain and benefit from a program such as one offered at Brookside you have to be willing to quit everything and listen to suggestions and constructive criticism from staff and doctors but most importantly you have to want to quit you have to want to get better if you don't want to be there you're just wasting your time. The 1st time I admitted myself into Brookside I didn't believe that I had a problem to the extreme that I did I knew what I was doing was a good but I didn't think it was as bad as it was I was caught in the vicious circle of addiction and not willing to quit that lifestyle I found myself thinking a lot about sneaking in contraband or having it brought in by visitors. Totally cheating myself out of the experiences and benefits that could have been obtained if I wanted it and let it. 2 years later I found myself I what I consider rock bottom I now knew I had a problem and was ready to face it head on I needed to get help and wanted it for the 1st time in 15 years I decided to try rehab again this time for me, this time to get better. So I called Brookside and made arrangements to start the process with the detox program and after detox continuing to residential. I found that honesty almost wasn't the best policy with the staff members. after a meeting with one of the counselors/doctors I voiced concerns I hide and problems I was having in my relationship with my boyfriend because of my using after opening up and letting them in to my personal life and problems they decided they would not let my boyfriend visit me while in treatment even though the issues and concerns I had where not causes by him they were problems i was experiencing because of my instabilities caused by drug use and addiction and the lack of naturally produced dopamine. They banned him and me from talking and seeing each other even after knowing that he was the only person and support that I had in the world considering family and friends were not in the picture at all. This made me take a huge step back and also forced me to put up walls and feel defensive and vulnerable. This also made me begin to suffer from mild depression, anxiety and lack of motivation to fully take advantage of the class, advice and resources offered. After my 3 day detox was over they told me I had to go home and wait for a bed to open up in the residential which didn't make any sense because I was already in a bed in the same environment and area as residential patients i was confused as to why I had to leave and wait for a bed to open but I did so with the promise from the staff that I would be called and admitted as soon as possible to get me a longer stay with more help. I will say that I did feel really good on the 3rd day that I was released and had already felt benefits and positive results even from such a short amount of time. I left more motivated with a clearer mind and definitely more positive thinking.But this feeling faded quickly as I waited over 3 weeks for a bed to open for me to be admitted into there residential treatment. By the 3rd week my environment, past and urges got the best of me and I unfortunately broke down...

My sister was recently admitted to Brookside center for mental health support, this was a huge step for her to take, a step that took her years to finally take. She suffers from panic disorder/agoraphobia/anxiety and depression. She arrived in the evening and was able to sleep, the next morning (her first morning at Brookside) she woke up extremely confused and upset, she has lost a significant amount of weight so a staff member had brought her breakfast and she told said staff member that she was having a panic attack and couldn't eat rjght at this moment, that she needed to wait a little bit. The staff member was extremely rude to her and told her flat out that she has to eat because of her weight, and had the audacity to stand there and threaten/watch her eat, and had the nerve to tell her that "she was fine, there is absolutely nothing wrong with her" This caused my sister to have a full blown panic attack and she was nonstop vomiting. My grandparents were there during this time and my grandfather expressed concern about how the situation was being handled...and instead of the nurse taking the time to support my grandfather and explain why things are done a certain way or explain to him the approaches they take in situations like that, she thought it was appropriate to talk back to him and be extremely rude and unprofessional in front of my sister. We pulled my sister out of that place immediately and she was admitted to the ER to get her anxiety induced cyclic vomiting syndrome under control. The lack of support and understanding to patients and their family members/loved ones was jaw-dropping unbelievable and atrocious. What makes me the most sick is the fact it took my sister years to come to a place like this because she wanted help and support, she wanted understanding and she wanted to be able to learn how to cope with her disorder, and the fact that Brookside made her feel so lousy and unwelcome, they have set her progress back years. What really irks me is when I visited last night, the receptionist gave me some packets and in one packet it explains very clearly what NOT to say to those struggling with mental illness and why you shouldn't say those things...and they don't practice what they preach!

My advice? If you or your loved ones are seeking help, do NOT go...

I am thinking it really deserves a three and a half; lots to recommend it. The treatment is evidence-based, the facilities are GREAT (including wonderful meals and individual temperature controls in each room. The staff is generally well-trained, but since I am also a Mental Health Clinician, I am picky. Some of them seem to have odd, old-fashioned ideas; others are close-minded. A couple of them are 'into' control and power. As an example, a family member was in there and I wanted to offer my support by talking to staff about my observations of the patient. Unfortunately, I had laryngitis, so requested an email address to which to send the information. After several of them conferred, they decided that they "couldn't" do it that way; hence lots of valuable time/information was wasted. I had gone in because I was experiencing clinical depression; one of the nurses, noticing that I use a lot of sweetener in my tea, unilaterally decided to hide the sweetener (!) on the basis that she had "heard" that artificial wasn't "good for you". No science behind it, no discussion, just a unilateral decision. Sad. In some ways, such as the fact that staff can track and contact any other staff member in the building (their devices use "SIRI" so that it is fast) and some staff are willing to think outside of the box (such as making a medical appointment for me and sending an LPN with me to my destination, which was across the campus). OTOH, I was not allowed to use a snack machine off the unit when we wee passing it; the reason? "Just because"! One "therapist" kept talking, in class, about the role of the "amigula"; she was simply unwilling to take the word of a mere patient that the word is correctly "amygdala". Although I had offered my observation/correction in private, she continued to give people the incorrect information. Also sad. Also in the category of "sad" is the fact that I became Persona Non Grata because I spilled hot water into my lap (I have a Myoclonus and not very good control of my fingers) twice). It was assumed that I was a person who regularly and semi-deliberately, hurt myself - much like a "cutter". I was then deemed too much of a risk. (Good grief!) All in all, however, it is a nice, modern unit which needs to be more open to challenge and...