Aurora Pavilion Behavioral Health Services

I can only speak for my experience, but if I could give this hospital ten stars, I would. The nurses are phenomenal. They communicate well, and each time a new nurse would start a shift, he/she would ask different questions, open and honest, and made sure all of our questions were answered. I really appreciated their wisdom and respect for my child. The psychiatrist also listened and asked in depth questions, sometimes through the nurse practitioner if it was a weekend. Even the assessment was handled correctly when my child was in a terrible state due to a medication reaction. Just truly special people that work in this field. All the way to the techs, security, receptionist, everyone was just perfect. Job well done 👏👏👏

PLEASE DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD OR YOURSELF TO THIS FACILITY. This was at aurora pavilion, they think these bad reviews are just “concerns” and it goes flying over their heads, there is truly something wrong there, everyone's experience is different, but i wouldn’t take any chances, and i've seen mostly terrible reviews, and i have one to say as well. It's been a while since i've been, and i only went ONCE for a reason. I was having terrible mental health issues and when I was a child, I was admitted to Lexington medical center then two days later transported to Aurora, in a cop car. I was already traumatized enough from what happened to me previously. At the time I was 11, I am now 15. I don't know if they thought because I was a child I wasn’t capable of giving my opinion or knowing my own feelings? Or they were just gonna do it for me. I'm pretty sure the nurses were aware of everyone's case and what kind of treatment they needed. I was searched and put into a blue scrub uniform. I also needed hygiene products but didn't get them until my guardian dropped me off those and clothes, (there's a limit and a strict rule of specific items you can have) The food was TERRIBLE, the nurses were mean. I barely got to do anything, they did not let us go outside. We did nothing in the lobby all day but color and watch movies, barely had group time, and i only saw my “doctor” twice out of the 8 days i stayed when i really needed help, the nurses were disrespectful and even made fun of some other peers, everything was scary and overall i felt like i was actually in prison, i had no behavioral issues i was just going through things and debating on whether life was really meant for me. I was sharing a room with a really mean racist female, and everyone was gossiping, I reported it and nothing changed. My doctor told me I could leave after a week and slapped a zoloft medication in my face. I was diagnosed with depression and trauma (PTSD). I didn't get to see my family but once...

I went here back in 2016, do not take your child here. There was a male nurse who acted funny towards the girls, at the time the two sides were divided (I believe they are co-ed now) and the boys and girls would pass notes to each other under the door that separated us, when one girl received a note that had perfect handwriting (not the kind of hand writing a child would have at that age) and it was a vulgar message. Activities were rarely done unless it was “group time” and most of the time we just sat in the sitting area the entire day. They tell you that they take us outside to get fresh air every now and then, but that rarely ever happened. If someone was unstable and tried to fight you, you were blamed, even if you were not the one who triggered the other. It’s better for your child to do outpatient, or go to Three Rivers in Columbia.

This place is a reflection of a broken healthcare system with not enough resources. Pros: everyone that we spoke to was very kind to us, my daughter said they were kind to her, and when I called with questions everyone was very patient and had no issue finding the answers for me. When I visited, the facility was clean and generally in good condition. Cons: The communication was very poor from start to finish. Our underage child had a mental health crisis, was taken to this facility (2 hours away) and during the entire 6 day stay I hardly received any information. No one called to tell us she arrived (at 9pm), no one told us what to expect or about visiting hours, I had to repeatedly ask my daughter if she received the hygiene items I left at the desk, which she did not get for two days for some reason. One (very kind!) nurse practitioner called to ask me questions after 2 days, and then two days after that I got a call from the discharge planner saying “the doctor said she can go home after the weekend!” Great news, but we had no information during her entire stay- no diagnosis, no recommendations, no treatment plan, no education for us as parents to best support our 11 year old. We just had the scariest moment of our lives and everyone said, “ok, she can go!” I brought this up multiple times and was told by multiple nurses “unfortunately this is normal, but I can go over this information with you before she leaves.” I am a nurse. The idea of another nurse being responsible for or agreeing to giving a patient, especially an underage child, their initial diagnosis is unacceptable to me. After leaving a message for her, I did get a phone call from the doctor on the day of discharge, and she was great! But if I wasn’t annoying and persistent about wanting to talk to a provider, would I have even spoken to someone? I feel like if I would have been passive about all of this, my daughter would’ve been at this place for almost a week and then sent home with...

After holding my child for 72 hours and the only update being “can he have lexapro” I was snapped at by the unit clerk for asking to speak to an actual provider and not a nurse. I’m an RN myself- so yes, I know the nurse knows more about how my child is doing but the provider is the one who decides my child’s fate and I want concrete answers, not “well this is what usually happens.” This is an extremely traumatic experience for children and parents. The absolute least thing you can do is have compassion and treat people gently and preserve their dignity. These are peoples’ CHILDREN. I have no complaints about the nursing staff- they were kind and helped as much as they could. However I regret bringing my child to this facility for help simply because as of right now, as far as I know, he’s stuck there indefinitely and nobody knows anything. People deserve communication. Case management is nonexistent.