Department of Human Services

The Hagedorn Psychiatric Hospital is committed to the use of Interdisciplinary Teams to plan and deliver mental health services within the Hospital. Effective teamwork helps practitioners to develop and implement comprehensive and coordinated treatment and discharge plans. Interdisciplinary team planning is an effort to use the skills, knowledge and expertise of various disciplines to effect treatment and discharge in a systems framework. This framework considers the functioning of the individual patient in a total milieu. For such a team to work well the explicit message of the hospital must be one that supports and values collaboration directed toward the achievement of the major goals of patient wellness and reintegration into their communities.

The treatment planning process focuses on enhancing patient’s optimal level of functioning and prepares them for their return to the community. Treatment Planning begins at the time of a patient's hospitalization and continues through discharge. In the treatment planning process, priorities are set for those behaviors which led the patient to be admitted as well as those behaviors/skills required for community re-entry. The Treatment Plan should be patient-focused and include the goals from the patients’ point of view. Treatment Planning involves:

Assessment of the Individual
Development of an Individualized Master Treatment Plan
Review/Documentation of Patient's Progress
Discharge Meetings
Post Discharge Follow-up

Patient Units & Services

East Hall 2, Medical Unit
Contact: Carrie Nelson-Clough, Program Coordinator, (908) 537-2141, ext. 2518

Unit Description: To provide quality interdisciplinary psychiatric services that maximizes patient potential and community integration within a safe and caring environment. To provide nursing and medical services to psychiatric patients who are in need of secondary medical care. Psychiatric services will be individualized based on patient needs as evidenced by their individual psychiatric assessment.

East Hall 3, Cognitive Impairment with Behavioral Disturbances Unit
Contact: Program Coordinator, (908) 537-2141, ext. 2205

Unit Description: The unit provides structured intensive reality-oriented, unit based treatment incorporating environmental cues, including therapeutically colored sections and name/picture door signs for patient rooms. Patients can be dependent on staff for ADL’s. In addition, they exhibit and need treatment for behaviors associated with degenerative mental disorders, which preclude them from being cared for in a community nursing home setting.

The unit environment provides individualized psychiatric treatment, incorporating purposeful activities. Staff provide an atmosphere of respect and empathy so that patients will retain a sense of dignity. Quality psychiatric services are made available to fit the individual’s unique needs based on psychiatric and clinical assessments, and are reflected in patient individualized treatment plans.

East Hall 4, Admissions / Acute Psychiatric Care Unit
Contact: Tracey King-Rumelhart, Program Coordinator (908) 537-2141, ext. 2523

Unit Description: The unit provides assessment for purposes of diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric illness. This is provided through an interdisciplinary apprach and each patient has an individualized treatment plan following the assessment process. Treatment provides for stability and reduction of symptomatology in preparation for discharge to the community, or if further treatment is needed, transfer to another unit is pursued. Patient will be assigned programs in accordance to their clinical needs.

West Hall C, Intermediate Unit
Contact: Ildiko Spence, Program Coordinator (908) 537-2141, ext. 2562

Unit Description: This Psychiatric Intermediate Unit allows for individual treatment goals to be achieved through referral at unit specific therapeutic programming. Patients will be assigned programs in accordance to their clinical needs.

West Hall D, Low Intermediate Unit
Contact: Ildiko Spence, Program Coordinator (908) 537-2141, ext. 2562

Unit Description: This Psychiatric Intermediate Unit utilizes referral at unit specific therapeutic programming to allow patient’s to achieve their individualized treatment goals. Patients will be assigned programs in accordance to their clinical needs.

Due to the functional level of the patient’s, more unit based therapeutic programming will be offered.

North Hall 1, Intermediate Unit
Contact: Sally DeVoy-Green, Program Coordinator, (908) 537-2141, ext. 2412

Unit Description: The units provide psychiatric treatment through an interdisciplinary approach. Each patient has an individualized treatment plan. Patients will be assigned programs in accordance to their clinical needs. The unit promotes self-responsibility. It offers patients an environment that allows for identifying and pursuing a personally meaningful and healthy lifestyle.

North Hall 2, Basic Skills Unit
Contact: Julie Loquasto, Program Coordinator, (908) 537-2141, ext. 2140

Unit Description: The unit provides psychiatric treatment through an interdisciplinary approach. The treatment team develops an individualized treatment plan with each patient. Patients will be assigned programs in accordance to their clinical needs. The unit offers patients an environment that is consistent, predictable and promotes independence in basic self-care activities. In addition to psychiatric services, there is a large emphasis on behavior management plans.

North Hall 3, Intermediate Unit
Contact: Edd Mitzkewich, Program Coordinator, (908) 537-2141, ext. 2533

North Hall 4, Intensive Intervention Unit
Contact: Corinne Balaskas, Program Coordinator, (908) 537-2141, ext. 2232

Unit Description: This unit provides assessment for purposes of diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric illness. This is provided through an interdisciplinary approach and each patient has an individualized treatment plan following the assessment process. Treatment provides for stability and reduction of symptomatology in preparation for discharge to the community, or if further treatment is needed, transfer to another unit is pursued. Patients will be assigned programs in accordance to their clinical needs.