Highlands Behavioral Health System Reviews

Just wanted to say this place saved my marriage and family. My wife was battling some severe bipolar depression and suicidal actions. The doctors and staff at this facility gave her the proper medications and tools she needed to cope with her issues. They even allowed her to have a special room during one of her visiting hours to visit with her two young children while she was confined to the facility which most other behavior hospitals won't allow.

She has been to other behavioral hospitals in Colorado before and this seemed to be the only place to get her one track. It has been nearly 3 years since her last episode and she has made some tremendous progress and growth all thanks to this hospital and it's wonderful staff. I can not thank them enough and I feel a sense of gratitude each time I drive by the facility on C-470. Heaven forbid I would ever need to hospitalize my spouse again but if I had to I would not hesitate to return to this location.

This place needs a 0. They are listening to a 13 year old, who doesnt like having rules. They won't discharge our son, they told us they will have us escorted off the property if we try to take him home. They are after money. We have had our child check out many times by other doctors there is nothing wrong with him. He ran away after being told he wont be going on vacation. When he was found he told the cops he was gonna hurt himself. He was placed at this facility. Now they are refusing to release him, they say we need to figure out why he is seeking attention. Guess what some parents are actually paying attention. He wants attention because he is no longer the only child and getting everything he want.

This place said there would be a psychiatrist that would see us right away and that was not the case a therapist saw us and then tried to just get us to stay the night and spend a ton of money there. I would not recommend this place ever to anyone.

Put on a bogus MH Cert by junior psychiatrist snob and held for a week without any psychiatric grounds at all. Scam. Medicare/Medicaid fraud. Messed my life up. Will be legal.
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Add that your boy is preaching God in a supposedly a-religious group therapy setting. Fundamentalist "Christian" Judeo-Christianity and lying about it.

It was a great facility I went there for eight days and the staff was so kind a treated me with great respect they helped me get through my tough time and the things I learned at group helped me so much ,the food was good, the staff was kind, and all the classes were so helpful and they let me express
Myself how I wanted to, the staff was respectful and they tried to have fun with us if you or a loved one is struggling this is a great facility to go to.

I was a adolescent at highlands and I had a over all pretty good stay, most of us we're in there for suicide and were yelled at by a couple nurses and that made me a little upset because we are there for a 'safe place'. The food is good and I felt safe and would definitely recommend it

Please do NOT send any loved ones here. This place is horrible and should go out of business. All they care about is money. The staff here was mean and inconsiderate. They were very lazy at there job considering someone snuck a razor blade here. The food literally gave me food poisoning. Oh and the body wash they give you will give you a really itchy rash. Stay as fat away as you can from this place please

I was placed here for a 3 day hold. They immediately released me after that when I was in no shape to leave. The entire time, they prescribed me medication that kept me doped up the whole time and unable to function. I was a zombie. Couldn t talk, just wanted to sleep. awful place. Wouldn t wish this on my worst enemy. The psychiatric facility at porter is way better.

This is the worst establishment I could think of to treat mental health . I travel around the world for work and I have never been in a more stressful and busy environment in my life. DO NOT Check your loved one in here. I had to physically come to the waiting room after 6 UNRETURNED Voicemails. Then waited for an hour and a half. My loved one was tricked into signing a form that kept he d for another 24 hours. The assistant Tristan admitted that that s what they were doing. When I finally spoke with a gentleman he said that everything I said was erroneous. After 4 days of being trapped in this building AKA jail she spoke to a therapist for 5 minutes and has contracted food poisoning which is consistent with other reviews on this page. Wow! Incredible. There is a reason the reviews of this establishment are below 2.3 stars. When will this place lose its license?!?! Hopefully soon

Unbelievable follow up. My daughter was released 2 weeks ago. We still cannot get her prescription filled because the doctor didnt fill it out right. Her follow up with a psychiatrist isnt until March!!!! We have called multiple times, we have left multiple messages, the pharmacy has faxed and called and we still cant get medication. What is the point of having someone inpatient to stabilize them on the correct meds if they dont flow through. I am beyond frustrated at this horrible facility. Do not take your loved ones if you want true help!!!

poor food. they make you wear paper scubs while there. all patients are given ativan every four hours regardless if the patient needs it. they dont let you have water to drink other then meal times and meds. the doctors are rude the nurses are rude and the counselors are rude. oh and they do a body search daily

I would give this place zero stars if possible. I was mandated by a hospital to go. The hospital released me to highlands in unstable condition. Highlands took me over night. They put me in a random room by myself without explaining anything. I kept coming to the nurses station not feeling well asking for zofran and migraine medicine. The three people at the desk acted so annoyed I came to ask for anything. They finally took my vitals and my oxygen was 70 percent on room air and my blood pressure was 190/100. They gave me Tylenol and clonidine and told me to go back to bed. My family called multiple times in the morning and they denied everything. Finally emt took me back to the hospital where I ve been in icu for 5 days. When my family went to pick up my belongings they lied and said I didn t bring anything with me. The person at the front desk couldn t tell my family who the director was or anyone because she was new . Absolutely the worst place to go for help especially mental health. They need to be reported to the state. Do not ever send your loved ones here

We were very skeptical after reading reviews on this site
I am happy to report we had a very positive experience.
Our child saw and interacted with physicians daily. We were very happy with the care received here.

Took my 14 year old here. Safe place, clean facilities and friendly staff. Keep in mind that this is a place that stabilizes your child and keeps them safe. Use this time to find proper after care. The after care program here still needs a little work.

This was the only place to accept me when my medical condition waitlisted me and my insurance denied my medications...

I am still grateful and shook from my one week stay (8 days to be exact, 9 if you include my first morning at Memorial Hospital), as they "stabilized my severe disability. "

Unfortunate experience with a family member that was struggling. Reached out to HBH to inquire about alternatives since they had been helpful in the past with both Inpatient/Outpatient options We were told that "the staff remembered her and felt like they had nothing more to offer". WOW, how sad is that...concerned enough to send the police for a welfare check BUT we can't help you. I called to plead our case...that this was a crisis situation and I was trying to keep it from escalating. I had seen positive results from the past partial hospitalization so I was hoping to address that. Nate was very helpful but was unable to speak regarding specific issues/concerns and he directed me to DeeDee. I left a detailed message but never received a call back. Shame on You DeeDee!!! I expected more from a healthcare professional, this is the point at which you offer some guidance and direction...not just let someone falter.

This facility is an absolute disgrace. The lack of care and disregard exhibited by the staff is appalling. A dear friend of mind was referred to this location and after struggling with thoughts of self-harm and suicide she decided to call and admit herself for an evaluation. She called at 11:30 a.m. to inquire as to their admittance process and they suggested she make an appointment to reserve a bed space. She did so for the same day at 7:00 p.m. and upon arrival the front desk staff sat there inattentive looking worthless and engaging in personal conversations. We were not even greeted and after having to initiate the conversation the staff continued to sit there with a dazed look on there face and said to have a seat. My friend felt uncomfortable to say the least and begin to look immediately for alternative care. She proceeded to the exit to call another location and they buzzed the door opened as she exited with other personnel without the front desk even acknowledging her. Thank god she wasn't a patient in need immediate medical intervention. The intake specialist then came out and the front desk staff looked at me and asked if my friend had left. The intake specialist then proceeded to tell me not knowing who I even was that they didn't have an appointment for her and did not offer any resolution. We left abruptly after being told they had no idea what happened again with worthless stares from all the staff. This facility is the epitome of inhumane medical care. These facilities need to understand the severity of its negligence and its potential effect on human lives. Please do not come to this facility with your loved ones.

I went there and I was scare I didn't know what to do because I'm deaf. And I'm afraid to be around someone but I found my new friends he nice person I forgot his name but anyway he made me safe and comfortable

Mostly wonderful staff (some terrific, some less terrific), and under replenished supplies, but the food was better than other hospitals in the area and they actually managed to keep us from getting too bored. I didn't appreciate this when I was there unwillingly, but my time at another crisis hospital really changed my perspective on this place.

You don't always get to pick where you end up when you're in crisis, and having no control over your situation sucks, but all things considered this is a good place to go.

I checked myself in voluntarily about half a year ago and was inpatient for a week and outpatient for another three.

This place stabilized me after my outside psychiatrist had me on meds that caused a lot of damage and fear. I think highlands saved my life.

It wasn t an experience I d like to have again but the experience was life changing and necessary.

My only critique is that they are severely understaffed and it can take days to speak with a psychiatrist or case worker. The staff they do have are amazing and caring.

Making the decision to come here might be one of the hardest decisions you ll make in your life and it requires a lot of work and upkeep on your part, but I d encourage anyone on the fence to go in.

My son went in to the facility and we were both unsure since we hadn't dealt with this before but he came out quickly, feeling much better and had a plan for how not to repeat the mistake.

The staff is cool except Dr. Tycner the main physiatrist. She literally doesnt care about you. She will lie in your face.

Asked by the "owner" to contact for a conversation but gives me the main number instead of a direct line. Give me a break. Do not place your loved one's in this facility! DO NOT WORK HERE IF YOUR ARE A SOCIAL WORKER LOOKING TO GET EXPERIENCE! DO NOT COME HERE IF YOU HAVE YOUR LICENSE! THIS PLACE IS A RISK ON ALL LEVELS!

I was just discharged yesterday after staying for three days. I was in the adult horizon unit for depression/suicidal ideation/panic disorder. I'm truly surprised at all of the bad reviews. I had such a positive experience all Highlands. All of the staff was incredibly attentive, and the trauma psychiatrist, Mark, was just incredible. The food could be better, but overall they helped me tremendously.

They accepted my adult daughter who was transported over 3 hours from there and they wouldn't except her due to her medical issues - mainly the walker. Could they not have read her intake information and told us prior to transporting her so she could stay closer to her home area.

I was hospitalized here a couple years ago, it was my first time ever in such a facility and it was rather scary at first. I arrived late in the night and hadn't eaten that day and has missed the normal dinner time but the staff still found me something to eat.
There was one mishap when there was some miscommunication among the staff but they quickly resolved it and apologized and did what they could do to make it right. Which I greatly appreciate.
I'm a picky eater but the food was decent and there was never a meal that there wasn't SOMETHING that I would eat. They supply a good amount of variety.
As for the mom upset at the staff member checking on her daughter in the shower, the staff did that to me too but they didn't look IN the shower. They would call to me and make sure I responded and I was okay. That was it.

Very careless practice. All they want - to make money on you and do as less as possible and to bill your insurance as much as possible. Very very bad facility. I am going to file complain and law suit for negligence. Hope that health department will close this place.

This place is definitely about the money I have my grandson there and I needed to take him home and they placed another emergency hold on him they gave him medication without permission they never diagnosed him with anything they told me Medicaid would pay for this and if Medicaid didn t pay then and only then would he be released I believe this is a Medicaid fraud facility they did nothing but make my grandson worse hold him against his will and my will Thid place should definitely be investigated prior reviews are 73% negative why is this place in business what a Shame I am currently going to sue this facility and I encourage everyone to do the same shut this place down again I repeat shut this place down they lie they pass you off they ignore you and continually make things up as long as they re getting paid I was also informed They pay staff members to write positive reviews

I was afforded problem solving skills, trauma therapy, and all groups helped focus on coping skills and the staff was always friendly and helpful

The food was good. Definitely would eat there again, but I don t plan on going back for obvious reasons.

highlands has a lot they need to work on. I was in the adolescents inpatient program for 8 days, there were good nurses, BHA'S, social workers, and doctors... MOSTDAYS.( i would love to give credit to Elijah and Nicole for being the best people there) some of my opinions o this place...1) the doctors dont really care about whats going on in your head, i told my doctor (Dr.Carter) that i didn't feel ready to go home and he told me that i have a good life at home and said that he THINKS im ready... okay man you have known me for a week and talked to me three times, i don't think you know anything about me... anyways i had to talk to my social worker and my parents before i got a good reasonable opinion. 2) the food it absolute trash and if you don't eat it you have to stay longer. i lost so much weight while i was there because i wasn't eating. 3) you cant socialize, the units are so small and the only place you can talk to people is in the one small group room, but also you cant talk during group and thats the only time you're allowed in there. you cant talk in the halls, you cant even talk across the hall to the room across you, unless you want to be yelled at. oh and if you want to talk to your roommate before bed make sure to keep it down or else they'll put you in the quiet room ( a room with nothing in it except a camera) 4) don't cry, yell, or show any sort of emotion other than happy while you're there or else they'll sedate you and throw you in the quiet room. 5) get ready to watch finding dory 5 times in a row...like seriously, y'all need to get Netflix of something. anyways i wouldn't recommend this place at all, there are much better places.

I was on the Adolescent wing for a week about a year ago. I honestly had a pretty good time after I was admitted. I was able to get the help I needed and was treated with kindness and care from the staff. If you go in with a positive mindset you'll come out with a good experience.

This place is like the hospital in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. No, it doesn t need to be more like a hotel, but yes the people that work there do need to treat people with dignity and respect. Unfortunately, I was threatened by multiple employees while I was there. They threatened me that if I didn t calm down from being upset that they would restrain me and knock me out even though I wasn't violent. I feel really bad for all the people that end up there against their will. They deserve much better but they don t really have much of a voice in the situation so alas this place is a pillar of what s wrong with the mental health system. Before going there I was told they are more liberal because they sometimes allow people to wear their own clothes. What a joke: This place should be put on trial for violating people s human rights. Key advice: If you end up there it s like prison so do your best to follow orders and blend in. If not you ll find yourself stuck there for longer than the typical 72 hours.

I had a potentially DEADLY side effect from an antipsychotic. The night nurse, Paula, would not take me seriously beside the fact that my blood pressure continuously increased by the minute and my heart rate had increased to a whopping 200 by the time I got to the ambulance. Because Paula thought I was "just being restless and having anxiety" (this is what she told the ambulance companies as she took her time calling around) it took her 45 minutes to get me into an ambulance and do the paperwork she insisted NEEDED to be done to get me to the hospital. Despite my demanding she call 911, and I had the right to that in my situation. Paula continuously told me even after my attempts that if I keep bothering her, the longer it will take her to get me to the hospital ! I was later told by the pharmacy tech she should have called 911.

They had to slow my heart down on the ambulance and the ER doc said I could have gone into cardiac arrest.

I filed a grievance , the man never came to see me before I left so I'm putting my review out here warning everyone. If you or your child needs to get to the emergency room - this could happen to you where the nurse doesn't take you seriously and you could oh, I don't know, die or something .

I would like to point out the woman who handled my intake, the day nurses, behavioral techs and the psychiatrists - were all truly amazing and kind.
Food could use some work, but you are in a hospital after all.

I was a patient on the Horizon unit and I must say this place isn't as bad as everyone one makes it to be. You go in get evaluated by professionals who can evaluate you and see the crisis even if we might not believe it at the time. I feel much better and glad I stopped by for an assessment and was admitted against my will. I was scared at first and didn't think I needed help but the Dr., SW, BHA and all the nurses were great. The Russian nurse just needs to smile more. I felt that my treatment team was always doing what was best for me. I feel more stable and would recommend the facility to others.I wanted to say thank you to everyone and especially the patient advocate and my doctor there. Truly they are caring and passionate people. They were my favorite to work with or even have conversations with in passing. Compared to other facilities this one is definitely one of the better ones.

I was very depressed and suicidal upon being admitted here. I had to stay over a month in intensive recovery. I participated in daily group therapy, that included music, yoga and class time. My social worker, Pete and an RN, Rana helped me though this difficult time. Thanks, Pete, Rana, Nastasia, Mike and everyone else that helped me when I needed it most. I have begun a new life as a prominent business GM in Highlands Ranch. PLEASE IGNORE THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS.

Some staff were nice. Place is well kept clean. But I felt like the only way out was faking my happiness & well being. In reality I wasn t okay but I hated being locked up in that prison. Being in there made me more depressed. I was there longer then 72 hours and I didn t eat at all. I felt sooo uncomfortable knowing that guys & girls were sleeping right across the hall from each other.

I took my child here because she was self harming. DO NOT EVER take your child to this facility. They put her in isolation for two days because she was in the same room as someone with the flu. She received no care during this time. She only saw the psychiatrist one time during her very expensive stay, and not the one that was initially assigned to her . They diagnosed her with depression and then put her on a non-FDA approved drug for the diagnosis. Now we are fighting side effects such as severe suicidal thoughts and hallucinations. They refuse to take my calls, and keep telling me to follow up with my aftercare provider. Our family needed help, and they only provided worsening circumstances. Please, if you care about your child, stay far away from this place.