Snowden at Fredericksburg 1200 Sam Perry Boulevard, Fredericksburg, VA 22401

"They treat you like a criminal. The staff is there to elicit incriminating infromation from you so they can successfully petition a Court to grant an ex parte TDO (look up this insane Virginia law). The staff is not on your side; it is not a medical provider-patient relationship, it is more reminiscent of a police-suspect relationship. Nobody will advocate for you, and if the Community Service Board (CSB) is involved, you have an almost insurmountable uphill battle. CSB lied to me and crafted a narrative to attempt to have me involuntarily committed. Rest assured there will be accountability in the form of a lawsuit."

"My daughter was there for 7 days and released even though she was suicidal. No one called even though they said they would speak to the family before her discharge. Her case manager Becky is a joke. I called her several times and she never answered or returned my calls. They discharged her without medications they were giving her. She is now walking around my house for days not sleeping. AWFUL!!!!"

"This place is awful. The only difference between this and jail is at least here you get medication so you can sleep. They GASLIGHT you! Most of the staff is rude, just wicked people. The doctors are jokes. You ask for help your "a junkie" , you question your dose " your not a doctor." They act like they are paid by quotas, bcs they will lock you up for ANYTHING! The accommodations are Hell. The men's wing is dilapidated. I dont know about the women's (they separate them). If you want your loved one to get help find a good psychiatrist or doctor. If it's your enemy, dont be that sadistic. I lived her +20 years, I've seen friends and family go there, they never come out better. (They love to over medicate, you got an opinion? Well its sleepy time) Theres other options! I know from personal experience."

"The nurses will gaslight you and the case managers are lazy. The doctor was also clueless. No communication whatsoever. I was told I would get out by 1pm by the doctor and then ended up having to wait until 6 because my case manager kept deliberately avoiding me. Also, what’s all this “we can’t take you outside” and “no visitors allowed because of COVID” nonsense? You realize we’re here for mental health problems, not because we’re prisoners? Even prisoners get outside time."

"The only clear value provided here is that it is a secure, safe environment. Dietary restrictions are barely accommodated, despite there being a relatively high quality and varied menu in the main Mary Washington Hospital building…this facility exists on the same campus just across the road from the main hospital. The group sessions held for the in-patient program primarily consists of arts and crafts, no therapeutic value to be found there. The doctor was unproductive and prefers observation over a clear and obvious need for a change in medication. Throughout several conversations with the lead doctor/psychiatrist, he repeatedly disregarded the patients diagnosis and without evaluation suggested a completely different, not at all applicable alternative diagnosis. Despite several days of clear thinking and stable behavior; he pushed back on discharging and that if the patient went through with it, it would be against his medical advice (AMA). I find this quite strange and unreasonable considering he was against a change in medication and even stated himself that the group sessions offer no value. So how can a patient have to discharge AMA, when there is no actual medical advice being given? Both case manager and doctor agreed that the outpatient program would serve the patient better, but insisted on the patient staying in-patient without being able to articulate why. So, in addition to not providing any care or medical advice, as well as suggesting the outpatient program; the doctor would not authorize discharge and this forced the patient to discharge AMA…making it much more difficult to transition to the outpatient program. Unit B was tame, docile even, though the majority of staff had very little compassion to offer. Patient was crying in their room one evening, staff asked if they were alright, patient replied “no” and the staff member said “alright” and walked away with no follow up. The patient received a stable environment, no medical care, and had their transition to the outpatient program made incredibly difficult and created an unacceptable time gap in “care”. If you have nowhere else to go, this is what you’ve got. If you have family or friends, please value them and establish a support system for yourself and the ones you love even if you don’t need it right now. Our healthcare system is broken, and we have to fend for ourselves. Facilities like this shouldn’t even exist if they aren't going to provide immediate assistance. I understand there are a plethora of issues in the system, and I appreciate those that work within it and strive to make a difference. However many of those that work within the system have been defeated by the system and it shows."