Charlotte Behavioral Health Care 1700 Education Avenue, Punta Gorda, FL 33950

"Worst experience ever I was there in the end of 2023 with suicidal thoughts. They do t check on you like they’re supposed to. I slept on a 2 inch thick piece of foam wrapped in plastic on the FLOOR with NO PILLOW and a paper thin blanket. They allowed a man to enter an all female room and lay IN MY “BED”. They refused to give me my meds when I was actively having an anxiety attack. They treat you like a criminal. And the food tastes like it was meant for an animal. Also you don’t get to SEE a doctor it’s a video chat for 30 seconds with someone on the opposite side of the state. No activites for patients to do while there. I was given no toiletries and the bathroom was almost always locked"

"If I could put 0 stars I would. I was there on 9/4/23 and it was the absolute worst experience I’ve ever had, I went in with suicidal thoughts and they put me in a room with someone who was actively trying to commit suicide while in there. I had multiple panic attacks while there and told them that I need my meds bc I felt one coming on and I got told she’ll help me in a minute but an hour goes by I’m in my room and having a full blown panic attack and still no nurse and no one came to check on me at all, I HATE this place so much and I don’t recommend ANYONE going there"

"Very sadly I had to contact 911 today to have my son evaluated due to a mental health crisis. The IRIS Team (community based crisis response team (police, fire, crisis therapist) of CCBHC) arrived after the police intervened at my home with my adult son. They were all very professional and as far as I could see/hear very professional and caring with my adult son. The IRIS Team was aware of my intention to pick up my wife and see my son through the intake process at the facility, and they provided directions and where to go. When I arrived about an hour later (due to travel time), I was directed to come back at 7:15 pm for visiting hours, despite that it was about 9:30 am and I was TOLD where to go with them knowing I was going there immediately. That was a wasted 1 1/2 hours driving. I left 2 x messaged on the 'clinician' line at the ASU (Acute Stabilization Unit) asking for a call back as to provide his clinical history. No call. Are you surprised? They might give the excuse that it would be a violation of his HIPAA rights, however, they can listen without violation. I am a licensed therapist myself, I know the rules/laws. Another missed opportunity. My wife and I attended the full 1 hour visitation time. The mental health technicians (what an odd title) were unprofessional. A woman asked us to put our belongings (to include phones, keys, wallet/pocket book) in an unlocked locker and said that someone would lock them up. Upon us leaving she said that someone already took the locks off. What a MASSIVE LIE. There is NO WAY those were locked up. I hope integrity is not a part of their mission statement. The setting where my son is presently is drab, noted for much dust/cobwebs on windows, echoey and loud visitation room. Is this the kind of setting to instill hope for the hopeless? My son's bed was a mattress ON THE FLOOR. Am hoping DIGNITY is not a highlight of their mission statement after that. He complained of the mattress being dirty, smelly and with used tissues on it when shown his bed. YIKES! Upon leaving we (my wife, son and I) had questions about his meds. Was informed that unit RN manager not available and to call to ask questions (I called several times and the phone system was not working properly and then successfully left a message on the 'clinician line' again. Is that listened to with any cadence? Was told by mental health technician that they had access to all meds and in rare occasions they ask that meds be brought in by family/support 'but this like never happens'. We asked our son to call us to tell us status of his med experience after we left wanting to ensure he received them (we left at the time of night med distribution). He called us on our ride home and they did not have one of his meds (I do not fault CCBHC for this as it is an older med which is hard to reliably get at pharmacies on a regular basis anyway, even though there is an institutional pharmacy (Genoa/United Healthcare) on site). Naturally, we offered to bring it in (if you are counting that will be my third round trip of 90 minutes in one day; 90 + 90 + 90 = 180 minutes of wasted time!) which I promptly did. Lets see, he arrived around 9 am, they knew he was staying and would need meds (at least at 8:30 pm and yet they did not pre-emptively ask me or my son about this med and not having it on hand and needing it delivered). Another self inflicted wound for CCBHC. I guess they are pretty lucky they are the only gig in town for this sort of event as there is less incentive to provide a dignified experience with professional integrity. I pray that you and your loved ones never need to experience this first hand or vicariously."

"If I could give 0 stars I would. My son has been in the facility for almost a week. I have received vague updates and even the DCFS caseworker called Friday and wasn't provided an update. In the meantime the facility has blocked all access to my son outside of answering my questions with vague responses or telling me that the director would get back with me Monday. I called this Saturday for an update as I normally receive a daily call about my son and the weekend clinician said she doesn't call families when there isn't an update or change. CBHC will not let his grandmother call and speak with him (even though she has before and was on the approved list). The facility is refusing to provide me with documentation regarding his Baker Act, diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Everyone from the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office IRIS team and his DCFS caseworker have been amazing. I do not know or understand why CBHC is not helping my son transition into a long term treatment facility to receive treatment. **Update 9/18/2023- No one has reached out to me or spoken with me from the facility. There are not 2 people working with me at all."

"Edit: I was inpatient in October 2022. I am in your records. I will make the call. Thank you. I was put on the floor. A dirty floor, with a smelly blanket and plastic pillow. I had 2 very sick room mates. Schizophrenia. One woke me up sometimes feeling my vagina saying I had her baby inside me. I was detoxing from alcohol and am a professional, but was very ill. They gave me nothing for almost 2 days. I puked into a dirty sheet I found so it wouldn't be on the floor. Then they brought be a trash can. I showered without any soap or shampoo after almost 3 days. No clean clothes or scrubs to wear. I flicked a couple bugs away on the floor. I waited 45 hours to talk to a doctor. This was the worst experience of my life. If I didn't feel suicidal when I went in, I did when I left. I am embarrassed to work in the field of psychiatry."