St. Vincent's Hospital Westchester 275 North Street, Harrison, NY 10528

"There is ample room for growth at this place because many staff members at every level lack the skills, motivation, ethics, empathy, attitude and other pertinent qualities to work in such a ‘therapeutic’ environment. Remember, anyone can be in a vulnerable position at any time. Programming and structure also need significant improvement during weekends. Having nothing to do is detrimental for many mental health diagnoses. Moreover, self-care is particularly important at times of emotional distress. Thus, having to ask for toiletries multiple times and being ignored or not being able to wash your clothes for many days is unacceptable. Further, there were patients who had to clean bloody and unhygienic bathrooms to be able to use one of the only two toilets in the unit; some techs stated that it is not their job to clean when the cleaning staff is unavailable. Despite this, I would like to express my gratitude to the following people who treated me like a worthy human being during a time of crisis: techs Jackie, Hussein, Senia, and Matt; NP Alex, social worker Tracy and the female Russian psychiatrist-I apologize as I forgot the name. Keep on being sources of light, love and hope among so many shadows."

"This is the worst possible place to send your loved one. There is ZERO communication between the doctors, nurses, and/or ancillary staff and the families. My family member was a patient for a week and I didn't receive ine call for an update. When I called them, I got no informa6and no return phone call. The patients have constant down time instead if working on their mental health issues. Please find somewhere else to send those you care about if you want them to get the care they need and deserve. If i were able to give a negative rating I would. The nurses do not seem to care and the doctors are even worse."

"This Hospital and staff have helped me tremendously in my own Mental Health and breaking down the stigmas. I appreciate all the Technicians, Nurses, Doctors, Social Workers, Care Coordinators, Priest, Dieticians, Art Specialists (& wonderful St. Vincent himself!) who have went above and beyond for me. All have impacted me to become a greater person than before and I am forever grateful! Be blessed!"

"In the fifteen years I have worked as a registered nurse, I have never had to evaluate a hospital. The level of nursing care offered at St. Vincent’s Hospital (SVH) is appalling, therefore I’ve decided to do it this time. Nearly three years ago, I started working at SVH, and have endured harassment and persistent bullying during this time, primarily from management who participated in cliques and who they favor at the moment for whatever reason. The hatred for me began when, as a night nurse, I refused to agree to the concept of the Behavioral Health Technicians (BHTs) taking extending sleep breaks at nights anywhere from three to four hours each shift while patients are being neglected. I believe this to be theft of company’s time and shows poor work ethic which leads to compromising patient care. I have witnessed BHTs and nurses clocked in to work at nights and go directly to the linen cabinet for blankets and pillows for themselves with little regard if any is left for the patients. I quickly realized that this is the culture which also drastically compromises the standard of care provided. SVH is not concerned about the quality of care but more so about getting a body to cover a shift which explains why they would schedule an elderly diabetic nurse on 2N to work five 12-hour shifts in a consecutive manner. It is impossible for management not to know about this practice at nights as some engage in the same practice. Speaking of management, the Director of Nursing there is so clueless and unprofessional who instructs her nursing supervisors to carry out her dirty work. I have made multiple attempts to reach out to her to discuss concerning issues without the courtesy of a response. She hires Patient Care Directors (PCD) who are clueless and have no professional training in leadership and management and whom she believes are easily controlled. In October of last year, I reported a concerning issue regarding the safety of an elderly patient and the treatment he received from a staff member and instead of addressing the situation, I was met by constant retaliation anywhere from being written up on frivolous matters, under directive of Sharon, as per Lendor her PCD, to being blocked from getting notifications from seeing available shifts. Any stance I took to advocate for patients, somehow, I managed to get penalized instead. Instead of being spiteful towards me, Sharon should concentrate on the rat infestation on 2N terrorizing elderly patients and leaky ceiling on the third floor as I am confident that this would not sit well with NYS. Approximately three months ago I was working with two male BHTs, one was intoxicated and the other was observed sleeping on a very disorganized high-risk patient and was sleeping all night compromising patient care. I even offered staff to go drink some coffee, wash his face, and sent him on a 30-minute break, nothing helped. Later during the shift as the BHT continued sleeping on the patient he was assigned to watch; I was forced to address this issue with him and was met by him cursing me out in a threatening manner. I notified my PCD, which I know was a waste of my time, and weeks later she summoned me to come to the office with union representation to be written up on the matter. How can a charge nurse feel empowered to do her job effectively without the support of upper management? Staff sit for hours at a time filling out the check-board without actually checking on any patient and I felt powerless to say something as I know I would not be supported. As a nurse who believes in preventative care, this does not sit well with me. SVH needs to seriously evaluate their standard of care as patients are there during their most vulnerable time of their lives and require therapeutic care. The only time management cares about patient care is when a patient is labeled as a VIP which is unfortunate. As healthcare professionals the quality of care EVERY patient receives should be paramount."

"Stay away from this facility if you can; 1 star was given due to the fact of 0 stars were not permitted. The hospital is drab and depressing. The support staff at night is surly and wants to be left alone. The food is not edible. The patients are not taken outside for walks on a regular basis. There is not a long enough corridor for the patients to walk through for exercise. The TV is hardly visible through thick and dirty plexiglass and there are only a few channels to choose from. The books available to read are mainly religious in genre. Patients are grouped together with many various mental and physical maladies, which I assume in doing this, is cost effective for the institution. There are ineffective group therapy sessions and they are offered rarely. No hot water is provided in the patients' rooms. The clothes dryer is broken. Male patients are not shaven on a regular basis. Patients' admission status is changed from voluntary to involuntary without notice to the patient or the family. Patients and visitors are grouped in a small room, not allowing for privacy, and which also serves as the lunchroom. The cafeteria closes early and is not open on Saturday and Sunday. Thank goodness the doctor providing the ECT was proficient , as was the anesthesiologist. The hospital is clean, as well. Monique, the patient advocate, was caring and exceedingly helpful in securing a discharge, after I had seriously considered legal action against the hospital. Currently, the patient is happily at home, consulting regularly with his psychopharmacologist in Manhattan, and will arrange for ECT as an outpatient (somewhere else) when needed. I trust my posting will help with the navigation through this mental health care facility. Wishing you the best... Terri"