John was one of the first patients admitted to the Partial Hospitalization Program, whose opening in February expanded the treatment options available to patients seeking mental health treatment. The program, which offers an alternative to traditional hospitalization or outpatient treatment, provides psychiatric services during the day to children as young as 5, adolescents and adults with mental illnesses. It offers treatment that is less restrictive than inpatient services, but more intensive and structured than outpatient psychiatric care available in the community. The therapy is intended to improve and expand each patient's mental and emotional health. Partial hospitalization treatment includes individual, group and family therapy, health and medication education, substance abuse education, mental health education and management, relaxation, and stress management.
Consultation is available from occupational therapists, chaplains, dietitians and psychologists.
Morgan said the hospital expects the patient length of stay to vary from two to six weeks depending upon the individual needs of the patients. Patients initially were referred to the program from HCPC's inpatient program, but the hospital recently began accepting referrals from local health care agencies. The program is ready to expand its capacity to 24 patients per unit. One in five people, or 350,000 adults and 130,000 children in Harris County, will suffer from a diagnosable mental illness once during their lifetime. This represents the first expansion of services in the 12 years the hospital has been in operation.