Laurel Heights Hospital

"I was sent here for a week when I was nine and it was terrible. The only reason was because I had depression and had suicide attempts. They would have you take off everything you had on and look to make you you didn't have any marks on you. Then they would send you to the lobby and sit in these uncomfortable chairs all day. We were sent to bed at around 6 and I stayed up every night, crying myself to sleep, and the staff didnt even care. The beds were terrible and I do not recommend this place at all. It was like sleeping on concrete and the staff was terrible. they would shine a flashlight into your eyes to make sure you were asleep. And they would wake you up aggressively which was really annoying. I was being overdosed on antidepressants and when I was getting my blood pressure taken, the machine malfunctioned and it was turning my arm blue and purple. I was crying and yelling at the woman who wouldn't take off the machine. And they drew my blood without consent. They used too large of a needle and they tied the plastic ribbon on way too tight. We all just had to sit in a room and draw or listen to one of the staff members. None of the children had a voice. And the food was terrible. It was cold and it wasn't a pleasant sight. And sometimes when a kid was getting angry, they would take them into a closet and inject them with lithium. I saw that these kids passed out after they were shot. And when I was leaving, my roommate got mad because I was leaving before her, and the staff did nothing about it. The showers were disgusting as well. They had us use I think dish soap to wash ourselves with. Everything there is disgusting, DO NOT SEND YOUR LOVED ONES HERE."

"I had my doubts when looking into this place for our daughter. I have to say that when receiving our daughter back from there, she had been a changed young girl. She also feels happy and uses the tools they taught her everyday. I really liked the staff. Mrs. Hall therapist especially for bonding and teaching and bringing the family together. The rest of staff was also a delight to work with. All did a wonderful job with our situation. Thank you to everyone who helped my family and I do recommend this facility for families seeking help."

"My daughter was there for 6 days and not one time did we hear from a doctor. Was told they only give the patients two bathroom breaks a day and my daughter even witnessed one of the staff pull another patient off the desk and she hit her head. Call several times and no one would answer the phones but could hear them talking in the background when my daughter called for her 10 minutes."

"I don’t recommend this place to anybody! Don’t allow your kids here if you care about them and they need treatment. The only thing they’re good for is drugging them up. The doctors there recommended high doses of medication because they believe that’s the only answer and fix. My 11 year son was being harassed by a 16 year old for two days straight. I complained to 5 different staff, nothing was done! The 16 year old ended up coming into my son’s room and putting hands on him. The staff did nothing. They denied me a phone call through out the whole morning shift to try to cover it up. I didn’t speak to my child until the second shift came in and my son told me about the unacceptable issue. I’ve left voicemails for all of the staff who are supposedly in charge. No one has returned my call. They don’t care and this is not the place for kids who need help. The morning shift is horrible! They curse around kids and don’t monitor them. Just ghetto and untrained employees. The therapist and admissions are about the most professional but it’s only so much they can do. This place needs to be shut down. I wouldn’t leave a dog there."