Shannon

Review of Cedar hills hospital

I have never, ever in my life been so horrifically...

I have never, ever in my life been so horrifically mistreated the way I was at the psychiatric facility in Cedar Hills. This is not my first or longest stay at a psychiatric ward but it wins by a landslide for the most horrific conditions, treatment and staff. These are QUITE LITERALLY abusive conditions. Staff are completely overwhelmed and desperately in need of help. There is no organization or communication between patients, doctors and nurses. Nurses regularly mix patients up and give them other patient's medication, or never give them their medication to begin with. The atmosphere feels manic during the day. I was never given any of my prescribed psychiatric meds for my multiple day stay and nurses missed 95% of my scheduled doses for intestinal medication. There's no segregation for those with more severe illnesses. The patients who physically attack others and throw themselves at the glass are kept in the same rooms as the less severe patients. My first night there I wasn't able to sleep at all due to patients wailing in the hallways, being loudly destructive of facilities, and my own roommate violently waking me up by grabbing my feet and digging her nails into my skin. When patients become violent, staff have little training on what to do and respond in a disorderly manner. They allow patients to scream and claw at the walls and their own skin for excessive periods of time. Many patients visibly distressed/injuring themselves/in pain and in need of medical attention sprawled in the hallways or on their beds. Poor hygiene of both patients and living quarters. Mold and mildew in abundance in the bathrooms. Some patients being obviously unbathed. Food and drink residue and open food containers left everywhere for days. Medical Doctors and Psychiatrists were practically non-existant. Even when present they never had their orders followed up by nursing staff in a timely fashion. Patients with special needs like wheelchairs or physical medical conditions were not able to have their special needs accommodated well. There is so, so much more I could write about this place but simply don't have the space.