Behavioral Health

Nurses at NewYork-Presbyterian/The Allen Hospital provide the full range of inpatient services for adults with psychiatric disorders. Our 30-bed unit serves some of the most diverse communities in the country. In fact, NewYork-Presbyterian/The Allen Hospital is one of few US centers that can provide services exclusively in Spanish to Spanish-speaking patients and their families.

Our multidisciplinary and multicultural approach combines our talents with those of social workers, activity therapists, psychiatrists and substance abuse counselors. Our nurses also work to provide specialized care services for patients who suffer mental illness in conjunction with chemical dependency. In 2009, one of our nurses won the Promise of Nursing Regional Faculty Fellowship. This award is supported by Johnson & Johnson, with the goal of assisting nurses who display a commitment to nurse education.

The renowned experts of NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center apply the latest information and best traditions of compassionate medicine and nursing to the care of adult and geriatric patients. We provide psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, psychiatric testing and psychoanalysis for a variety of primary diagnoses services in our 26-bed Milstein Hospital Building Behavioral Health Unit.

We’re also home to the McKeen Pavilion, located on the ninth floor of the Milstein Hospital Building. An amenities unit, McKeen Pavilion provides general medical services with a heightened level of privacy. The environment is described as tranquil and spa-like. Among the many services, our nurses in the McKeen Pavilion provide care to patients undergoing inpatient medical evaluation and management of drug and alcohol detoxification.

Behavioral health nursing at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center is provided at our 60-bed Payne Whitney Manhattan unit. Here, we are uniquely situated to offer care to adolescent, adult and geriatric populations. Our services encompass psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, psychiatric testing, milieu therapy and psychoanalysis, for a variety of primary diagnoses.

All of our behavioral health facilities ascribe to the Planetree care model, positively influencing not only our care approach but also our work atmosphere. We provide holistically pleasant environments, fostering effective healing and communication for both patients and care providers.

NewYork-Presbyterian/Westchester Division is a certified National Historic Site, situated on over 214 acres of pristine fields and woods. With over 270 inpatient beds, our site is the cornerstone of behavioral health at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. We are one of the largest free-standing psychiatric hospitals in the nation. In many ways, our site represents a step away from city living. Nurses make full use of our fitness center, golf course, outdoor pool and tennis courts. As a smoke-free facility, we strive to support patients, families and colleagues in making healthy choices.

Historically, we were one of the first and most prominent psychiatric facilities to champion the moral treatment of patients. Culturally and spiritually sensitive, our work is groundbreaking for the field. Units like The Haven and The Retreat (psychiatric and addiction recovery units) provide a discreet approach to the treatment of individuals needing inpatient psychiatric care and desiring additional amenities.

We’ve blazed the way in establishing the Planetree model in inpatient psychiatry. We foster a healing environment, are consumer-responsive and provide a patient-centered approach. All this results in a patient care experience that is personalized and humanistic. Career pathway opportunities are plentiful for all nurses. Above and beyond the workplace, the environment is serene and majestic.

Nurses find numerous opportunities for volunteering and community/global outreach, such as our fundraisers for nursing students in Tanzania, Autism Speaks, and the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk. In addition, many nurses speak locally about nursing as a career and about mental health topics in the community. We also offer:

• Hospital-based community seminars.
• Our annual Mental Health Fair for local community members.
• National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Depressive and Bipolar Support Alliance and Alcoholics Anonymous support meetings held weekly in our facility.
• Our Resource Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Westchester Division, with educational materials for patients, staff, families and community members.
• Our Pastoral Care and Education program, where nurses participate on the committee alongside our chaplain and community clergy.

• We consistently rank in the top five hospitals in the nation for psychiatry in the annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey conducted by U.S. News & World Report.
• Our VP of Nursing, Health Education Coordinator, and a Career Pathway nurse at NewYork-Presbyterian/Westchester Division were all finalists in the NY/NJ region in the Leadership, Teaching and Mentoring categories respectively for Nurse Excellence sponsored by Nursing Spectrum.
• One of our nurse leaders was recognized by the NY Times in the Honorable Mention category for nurse leaders.
• We offer a comprehensive rewards and recognition program for nursing clinical excellence, for LPNs and Nursing Support Staff, and for physicians who exemplify collegiality, collaboration and contributions to nursing practice across the various campuses.

One of the most famous books in behavioral health nursing, The Quiet Room: A Journey Out of the Torment of Madness, was inspired by author Lori Schiller’s real-life stay at NewYork-Presbyterian/Westchester Division. It’s read widely in nursing schools and considered one of the most harrowing first-person accounts of psychiatric recovery. This book has changed lives, inspired careers and dispelled biases surrounding mental health. It was born of the author’s personal victory, achieved significantly through the care and treatment by our nurses and colleagues at NewYork-Presbyterian.