PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT AND FORENSIC SERVICES

Psychiatric Treatment Program:


Accepts and admits clients on a voluntary basis when they require stabilization in a hospital for a mental health crisis.
Accepts and admits clients on an involuntary basis when they are mentally ill and considered a danger to themselves or others.
Offers a full array of professional services including:
            individual client assessments.
            interdisciplinary treatment planning.
            treatment tailored to meet the recovery and rehabilitation needs of each individual client
              and assist the client reach his/her optimal level of functioning.
            collaboration and partnership with community services and agencies to facilitate the
              discharge and transition of clients back to their communities
Includes:
            a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week Admission Facility.
            an Adult Mental Health Program that provides admission, evaluation, inpatient treatment
              and stabilization services for clients from 23 counties in Central Georgia.  The program's
              acute units are certified for participation in the Medicare Program.  Another adult unit
              provides psychiatric recovery and rehabilitation services for clients who require stays
              beyond acute care.  The Adult Mental health Program has 96 operating beds.  in fiscal year
              2006 (FY2006) which ended on June 30, 2006, the program received an average of 180
              admissions per month.
            a Child and Adolescent (C&A) Short-Term Mental Health Program that provides admission,
              evaluation, short-term acute inpatient treatment and stabilization for children and adolescents
              under age 18 who are seriously emotionally disturbed.  The service area for adolescents (age 11
              to 17) is 112 Georgia counties and services are available, when necessary and appropriate, for
              children (age 10 an under) from throughout Georgia.  The C&A Program operates 28 beds and
              in FY2006 it received an average of 88 admissions per month.
Is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

Forensic Services Program:

Serves clients who are referred for psychiatric evaluation and treatment from various components of the state's criminal justice and corrections systems.  While the program's inpatient units have greater security measures than are found on general psychiatric units, the client treatment services are carried out in accordance with the same professional care standards that apply to general psychiatric (non-forensic) units.
Is comprised of secure forensic units and maximum secure forensic units.  The Forensic Services Program operates the only maximum secure forensic facility in the state.  The program's current total number of operating beds is 192.  During FY2006 which ended on June 30, 2006, the program received an average of 15 admissions per month.
Serves the following individuals:
            those who are committed to CSH by the criminal justice system from throughout the state for
                pre-trial psychiatric evaluation and/or inpatient treatment;
            those who have been found not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) at the time of
                commission of a crime or mentally incompetent to stand trial (IST);
            those who are admitted with hold orders from jails for psychiatric evaluation, treatment
                and stabilization; and
            those who are referred from Georgia Department of Corrections prisons for inpatient
                psychiatric treatment. 

Conducts court-ordered pre-trial evaluations on an outpatient basis in jails.
Is fully accredited by the JCAHO.
 

Contact Information
 

Psychiatric Treatment and Forensic Services Chief - Bruce Callander, Ed.D. - telephone:  478-445-5540
email:  bcalland@dhr.state.ga.us

Psychiatric Treatment Medical Director - Scott VanSant, MD - telephone:  478-445-6056
email:  SPVanSan@dhr.state.ga.us

Forensic Services Medical Director - David Walker, MD - telephone:  478-445-4281
email:  dwalker@dhr.state.ga.us

Nurse Executive - Sarah Brooks, RN - telephone:  478-445-5135
email:  SKBrooks@dhr.state.ga.us

Fax Numbers: Psychiatric Treatment - 478-445-1329
Forensic Services - 478-445-0501

Psychiatric Treatment & Forensic Services Protocol Manual