Northwestern Medicine Woodstock Emergency Mental Health Services

"I bought my 18 yr old son there to get a mental health evaluation. It was extremely hard for him and me as I had to sign a petition to keep him there so he would not leave and they could treat him. Little did I know that when the SAS person arrived to see my son that a decision was made without my input. I called to find out how he was doing that night and was told by her that she had transferred him to Riveredge hospital in forest park. I was devastated. They never called me and I would have never sent him there. Despite the fact it is so far away, that hospital does not have a good reputation. The situation has become more stressful than ever. I'm so shocked with the lack of empathy that the SAS crisis person showed. And although she is not an employee of the hospital, non of the other staff at the ER called to let me know either. Shame on you all for making a bad situation worse. I hope this will save one more family from going through this."

"To give this facility one star is grade inflation. The correct star rating is -5. I had an employee brought to the ER by the police for being a danger to himself and his family. The police and ER docs agreed and he was moved to Woodstock. There he underwent treatment for psychosis. Just yesterday, the social worker told his wife that he would not be going home anytime soon but today we got word that he called himself an uber and went home. I suspected there was some sort of mess up but became more alerted when he started spending thousands of dollars on the company credit card for personal use and told another employee that he was spending money because I was responsible for his being hospitalized. I called the hospital to speak to the psychiatrist to discuss his odd behavior. He hadn't wielded an ax chopping up his house like he had last time but I still believed he was possibly a danger to himself, his family and possibly others including me. I felt the psychiatrist armed with new information could make a professional decision about whether he was in fact a danger and what to do next. No one would let me speak to the psychiatrist on call. The nurses on on the ward referred me the operator, the operator gave me the ER, the ER told me I should call 911 myself. I explained that I didn't have the standing or knowledge of his current state to send the police again but someone from their institution could. She refused to put me through and told me to call 911 myself. I asked to speak to the ER doctor but she told me he was busy. I called the psychiatric ward again and asked for the psychiatrist on call to call me but she said he probably wouldn't. I hope my employee doesn't harm himself or anyone tonight and though I think the chance is low, I do not think it's zero. (He has keys to our office which is in my home and I have moved out for the evening.) The fact that the hospital lacks the ability or interest to deal with the psychiatric emergencies of recently discharged patient indicates to me a deep disfunction in this institution and in the oversight of Northwestern Memorial which has lent its name to it."

"The bottom line, my experience with McHenry County Crisis team was both a humiliation and a nightmare, one which left me in a much more challenging situation rather than being helpful in any way. Even my credit score has been damaged by their assistance. I can't stress enough how cautious one needs to be with the words they use when calling this service, protect yourself by recording it if possible, and for goodness sake, know your rights before asking them for help!"

"Crisis isn’t too good at their job! Pretty much tell you what you already know.."