November 23, 2009 | Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. Launches PSI Patriot Support at Poplar Springs Hospital
to Help Military and Their Families Deal with the Stress of War
FRANKLIN, Tenn.—Nov. 23, 2009—Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. (PSI) (NASDAQ: PSYS) announced today the launch of PSI Patriot Support, an expanded program to provide behavioral health services to military members and their families at PSI facilities around the country.
“It’s well documented that multiple deployments to combat zones have taken a tremendous toll on the brave Warriors in our military forces, as well as their families,” said Joey Jacobs, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of PSI. “We are proud that PSI Patriot Support will be able to help with a number of stress-related issues that are increasingly common. We are amazed at the strength and resiliency of our military, and all of us owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude for their service and sacrifices.”
Jacobs said PSI Patriot Support came together as a result of the relationships the company’s facilities have with military installations and hospitals around the country. After seeing the behavioral health needs of military members increase, PSI is committing more resources to military-specific services, coordinating them under the PSI Patriot Support banner.
Eight facilities, designated as PSI Patriot Support Centers, initially will participate in the program and continue to work with military installation commanders, tailoring services to that particular installation’s needs. This includes Poplar Springs Hospital in Petersburg, Va., and more hospitals may fall under the PSI Patriot Support umbrella as programs and services for military families are needed in their areas.
PSI Patriot Support includes both inpatient and outpatient programs to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, substance abuse and general anxiety disorders that may be symptomatic of difficult combat situations, separation from families, and the stress of financial, marital or other problems.
The military unit at Poplar Springs Hospital is Virginia’s only stand-alone program within a hospital that provides consistent military-specific psychological treatment to active duty soldiers. Since its inception in August 2008, more than 200 soldiers have received inpatient care under its “We Never Turn a Patient Away” policy. Poplar Springs’ dedicated military unit also provides day treatment for returning veterans as part of a partial hospitalization program. Additionally, several programs are tailored to treat the much-needed behavioral healthcare needs of the spouses and children of active duty soldiers, including free military family lodging and community support groups.
“The strain of the battlefield has worn greatly on the bodies, minds and spirits of service men and women,” said Richard Clark, CEO of Poplar Springs Hospital. “Our program offers a discreet place for diagnosis and treatment of behavioral health issues. Proper treatment can help heal the invisible wounds of war, and we are proud to be a part of the recovery process.”
Col. Donna M. Diamond, the former commander of Kenner Army Health Clinic at Fort Lee, said, “The Poplar Springs Psychiatric Hospital has been a true blessing and has filled a vast need in providing dedicated behavioral health services to America’s soldiers.”
“Who better to fill this critical need than our partner in the local community, Poplar Springs, as behavioral health is their specialty. They revamped their program to provide a 22-bed unit just for soldiers and their quality services are readily accessible and timely. Most notably, this is a unique partnering unlike no other in the state or the country,” added Col. Diamond.
Recently, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke about military mental health at the Warrior Resilience Conference in Norfolk, Va. He called for better coordination of services between the military and general public. He urged mental health leaders to show leadership by proposing programs that can be measured for their results.
New statistics show that U.S. Army suicides will hit a new high this year. PSI is already working to support several military installation commanders to provide suicide prevention training to unit commanders, non-commissioned officers and line troops. PSI staff and clinical personnel also are providing support to military chaplains, family services organizations and military treatment facilities.
The initial PSI Patriot Support Centers are:
Brynn Marr Hospital – Jacksonville, N.C.
Cedar Springs Hospital – Colorado Springs, Colo.
Cumberland Hall of Hopkinsville – Hopkinsville, Ky.
Laurel Ridge Treatment Center – San Antonio, Texas
Montevista Hospital – Las Vegas, Nev.
Peak Behavioral Health Services – Santa Teresa, N.M.
Poplar Springs Hospital – Petersburg, Va.
The Brook Hospital – Dupont – Louisville, Ky.
Charles H. Dukes, M.D., a psychiatrist and military consultant at Cedar Springs Hospital, is a Major in the U.S. Army Reserve who has been deployed to Iraq. PSI Patriot Support Centers, he said, “seek to partner with the military to provide quality mental health care to service members. For these Americans who have answered the call to duty, we proudly answer the call to care.”
About Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. (PSI)
Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. offers an extensive continuum of behavioral health programs to critically ill children, adolescents and adults and is the largest operator of owned or leased freestanding psychiatric inpatient facilities with more than 11,000 beds in 32 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. PSI also manages freestanding psychiatric inpatient facilities for government agencies and psychiatric inpatient units within medical/surgical hospitals owned by others.
