Release to Other Levels of Care
Most youth leave the emergency room with instructions to follow up with a community doctor, therapist, or psychiatrist.
There are different levels of care to meet your youth’s mental and behavioral health needs.
Safety is the most important factor when deciding what comes next. Understanding the different options can help you make informed choices.
If your youth’s condition is not stable enough for this option, you and the doctors may decide you need a higher level of care to further assess and stabilize your youth. If this is the case, they will look for an available space in an inpatient care facility, which will be referred to as a “bed.” If there are no available beds, your youth may be sent home until one is open or they may stay in the emergency room. If a bed is available while you are in the emergency room, the staff there will discuss transportation with you.
Be sure to ask the emergency room staff and the place where your child is going about what they will be allowed to have at the new location. Each place has rules about clothing, personal belongings, cell phones, etc.
Psychiatric Residential Treatment Services (PRTS)
Short-term residential care for youth who need 24-hour emotional and behavioral support. Youth participate in therapy, structured activities, and school.
Providers in Oregon are:
Trillium Family Services
Jasper Mountain
Looking Glass Residential Services
Madrona Recovery
(this facility is dually licensed for substance use disorder and PRTF,
and supports youth with co-occurring disorders.)
Clementine West Linn
specializes in treatment for eating disorders.
Embark Behavioral Health
provides treatment for youth ages 10-14.
Nexus Family Healing
provides treatment for youth involved in the justice system.
Day Treatment
Day treatment is a mental health program for youth who need more support than weekly therapy but do not need to stay overnight in the hospital.
They attend treatment during the day to receive therapy, learn coping skills, and get support, then return home in the evening.
The goal is to help stabilize emotions, strengthen coping skills, and support families while keeping youth connected to home and the community.
Acute Care
Short-term inpatient care focused on stabilizing a crisis.
In Oregon, hospitals with psychiatric inpatient units for youth include Unity Center for Behavioral Health in Portland and Providence Willamette Falls in Oregon City.
Outpatient Services
Outpatient programs offer different types and levels of support.
Some programs, such as Mobile Response and Stabilization Services, Early Assessment and Support Alliance (EASA), and Oregon Health Plan (OHP) service like Intensive In-Home Behavioral Health and Wraparound, provide early or intensive support in the community. Services may happen in your home several times a week.
Other outpatient programs focus on substance use, trauma, eating disorders, or other specific needs.
Substance Use Disorder Treatment
Short-term, often 30-day inpatient care for youth recovering from alcohol or drug use.
Programs include group and individual therapy, recovery skills, life skills, and relapse prevention.
Subacute
Short-term residential care that provides close support and assessment.
Youth receive mental health services in a structured setting. The goal is to stabilize symptoms and prepare for the next step in care.
Facilities in Oregon include Trillium Children’s Farm Home, Trillium Parry Center, and Albertina Kerr.
Secure Inpatient Program (SIP)
State hospital-level care for youth who need longer-term and more intensive treatment.
Youth receive therapy, skills groups, family therapy, and attend school on site.
Trillium Family Services serves youth ages 5 – 17 in Portland and 14 – 17in Corvallis.
Other Residential Services
There are other programs that maybe suggested. These are focused primarily on behavioral modification and are not mental health treatment. These may not be covered by insurance because this is based on medical necessity.