Bournewood Hospital offers a full continuum of care for people with psychiatric and chemical dependency disorders. Our wide range of programs, which are covered by most major insurance providers, includes the following:

Psychiatric & Substance Abuse Treatment Services
We provide inpatient and partial hospital programs with a personalized touch for children, adolescents and adults in need of care.

Child/Adolescent Inpatient Program
Children and adolescents in need of intensive treatment for emotional, behavioral and psychiatric disorders benefit from the expertise and compassion offered by our highly-trained staff.

Adult Dual Diagnosis Acute Residential Treatment Program
Adults struggling with co-occurring diagnoses work closely with our multi-disciplinary team to address both issues within a supportive environment.

Intensive Outpatient Program
Young people and adults who don´t need the structure of an inpatient program may be good candidates for our intensive outpatient options.

Adult Partial Hospital Program
This is an appropriate choice for adults who are able to continue living at home and attending to other responsibilities while receiving treatment services.

Child/Adolescent Partial Program
Young people with psychiatric and/or substance abuse problems who are having difficulty in school may benefit from participating in our intensive outpatient program.

Caulfield Center
People who live in the Woburn area and are in need of care for psychiatric and substance abuse issues can access treatment locally through our day programs located in the Choate Medical Center.

Visitor and Patient Information
We respect patients´ rights and also enforce certain rules and regulations in order to ensure everyone has a safe and comfortable stay at our facility.

History of Bournewood Hospital
Close to 125 years ago, Henry Rust Stedman, MD, founded Bournewood Hospital in order to create a nurturing environment where people suffering from mental illness could rest and receive the treatment they needed to get back on their feet. The original facility, which consisted of 16 beds, was formed on the Minot Estates in Forest Hills, Boston, in 1884. In 1895, the Hospital moved to its current 300 South Street location in Brookline, where it remains today on 12 acres. Stedman, who, is known for being on the forefront of the mental health movement, took pride right from the start in tailoring the Hospital´s treatment regiment to best meet the individual needs of each patient. This long-standing tradition of combining the caring and comforts of home with the latest treatment methodologies is perhaps the element for which Bournewood has best become known.

Many people don´t understand how psychiatric hospitals like Bournewood operate. Here are some facts you should know about mental illness and how we function on a daily basis.

• Mental illness doesn´t discriminate. It can strike anyone at any age.
• A recent study reported in the June 2005 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine found that the prevalence of mental illness at any given moment is 30.5 percent of the population in the United States.
• The study also reported that of this number of people who suffer from this condition, only one-third of them ever receive treatment.
• When mental illness is left untreated, over time it can manifest in more severe symptoms that may require admission to a private psychiatric hospital or the psychiatric unit of a general hospital.
• The Massachusetts Department of Mental Health currently provides most of the long-term treatment for patients suffering from chronic mental illness, while private psychiatric hospitals such as Bournewood provide most of the care for acutely ill patients.
• The type of diagnoses that Bournewood typically treats includes depression, bipolar disease, schizophrenia, alcohol and drug dependency and dual diagnosis.
• Patients at Bournewood are treated in locked units but typically get fresh air in enclosed outdoor spaces when the weather cooperates. Patient care at other private psychiatric hospitals is usually arranged the same way.
• Bournewood is licensed by the state Department of Mental Health for 90 beds.
• While it´s difficult to get admitted to a psychiatric facility today, Bournewood has operated at 90 percent or higher occupancy for the past few years.
• Patients are referred through local hospital emergency rooms, crisis centers, HMOs, primary care physicians and mental health professionals.
• It is rare for a patient to request admission on his or her own. In such a case, prior approval is required by the insurance provider. To qualify, patients must demonstrate that they are unable to function or care for themselves due to mental illness.
• When a patient, or the patient´s legal guardian, willingly signs the admission papers to enter Bournewood, he or she is considered a voluntary patient.
• Voluntary patients maintain their civil rights even when they sign in to a facility like Bournewood. This means that they are free to leave on their own accord at any time, unless they pose a threat to themselves or others.
• Patients who are admitted against their will are considered involuntary patients.
• Involuntary patients have the right to sign in voluntarily. If they refuse, all psychiatric hospitals are required by law to release them back to the community unless they pose an imminent life-threatening risk to themselves or to others. This is regardless of the fact that they still have mental illness.
• In a case such as this, if a patient is considered by Bournewood staff to be a threat, the court must be petitioned to have the patient legally committed by a district judge. The judge´s decision is binding.
• Psychiatric hospitals, including Bournewood, are required by regulation to accept people who are referred for treatment of mental illness. They cannot pick and choose their patients.
• The typical length of stay today for Bournewood´s patients is seven days. This has declined from an average stay of 16 days just a decade ago. The reasons for this change are that there are more intensive inpatient treatment options today, there are a greater number of step down programs and community-based services, and there have been remarkable advances in pharmacology. All of these improvements have enabled patients to spend less time in an inpatient setting.
• Bournewood has 3,600 admissions a year. Patients include children, adolescents, adults and seniors of all ethnic backgrounds and income levels.

Resources
There a number of resources available to help you learn more about mental illness and some of the current treatment options. Here are some links to websites that may be informative on this topic:

The dignity and rights of our patients are very important to us. We support and follow the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health´s five fundamental rights for all patients. These include the following:

• Access to make or receive private telephone calls.
• Access and resources to receive and send mail.
• Access to have visitors at reasonable times.
• Access to accept or refuse visits from clergy, attorneys and therapists a representative of the clergy.
• Right to a humane psychological and physiological treatment environment.

We also have a designated staff member, the Human Rights Officer (HRO), whose role is to advocate for our patients and their families. For specific concerns about our programs or patient care, please contact the HRO at (617) 49-0300 ext. 657.

Creating and maintaining a safe environment is also a priority at Bournewood Hospital. In order to ensure the safest possible environment, Bournewood enforces certain regulations that protect the wellbeing of our patients and our staff members. All patients must adhere to the following policies or be subject to possible discharge from our facility:

• Bournewood Hospital is a smoke-free facility and smoking is allowed only in designated outdoor areas.
• Patients may take only medications prescribed by a Bournewood physician or other presiding clinician while on our campus. The possession and use of alcohol or any other drugs, including non-prescribed medication or contraband substances is prohibited.
• Physical or sexual activity between patients is not allowed.
• Attendance in groups is mandatory.
• Random urine screens are initiated at the discretion of staff.
• The use of cell phones is prohibited. We also discourage visitors from using these devices here, especially those with photo capability, to ensure privacy of all our patients.
• All valuables should be left at home, as we cannot be responsible for their safekeeping.
• Physical or verbal threats or acts of violence towards other patients, visitors or staff members will not be tolerated.

We welcome your interest in Bournewood Hospital and are pleased to provide you with more information about our services. We are also available to work with you to develop story ideas and connect you with contacts to help raise more public awareness about the scope of mental health and substance abuse-related topics and to encourage support for policies that make treatment more accessible to all who need it.