Lisa Wise

Review of UPMC Behavioral Health

This is the best place to take someone in distress...

This is the best place to take someone in distress. They know how to handle any mental health situation and provide the best care. My experience is with my child. We have been to the hospital multiple times since my daughter has been 13. Everytime the process and procedures get better each time starting with the security detail. It amazes me how caring and understanding the security persons are with someone in distress. Very respectful of the situation and always willing to help. Visiting the DEC can be very scary and overwhelming. It is not a pretty place to be - very bleak looking but the staff is very caring and understanding and the security detail is constantly monitoring the rooms.
With a young child, they do keep an eye making sure no one scares them during their crisis. The staff works as quickly as they can to get your child/adult a bed but just be prepared to wait hours - this is a hospital after all. The longest we waited was 36 hours but I was not about to bring my daughter back home and risk further harm. The staff tries to make you as comfortable as they can. Our wait time on the last visit was just 8 hours and we were kept up-to-date on the bed status every 30 minutes. Once your child/adult is admitted, the care ranges from aggressive med management to talk therapy sessions. We always feel that this is the safest place to be when there are extensive med changes since your family member is under 24 hour surveillance. I have to say that the care over the past 8 years has gotten better and better and the facility is more open to holistic change (better food, ability to go outside for fresh air). Thank you for being a wonderful and caring hospital for someone that is going through a very tough time. We are lucky to have this facility in our back yard in Pittsburgh.