New Program Gives Hope, Options To Psychiatric Patients

Clark Memorial Hospital’s Behavioral Health Services is launching a new program that will provide treatment without a long stay in the hospital for psychiatric patients. The program, known as the Partial Hospitalization Program, is the first of its kind in southern Indiana and offers new hope to patients who do not need 24 hour care.

“Our goal is to provide patients with psychiatric illness with a structured treatment program while they are living at home or are in the community,” says Dr. J. Bozwell Tabler, medical director for the Partial Hospitalization Program at Clark Memorial Hospital.

The program lasts for eight hours a day, seven days a week. Patients are picked up at their homes and transported to the hospital, where they are provided with a continental breakfast. Afterwards, the group participates in a community meeting, where they can discuss any topic of interest to them.

Then the patients choose from three group sessions for more intense therapy. The group sessions cover topics, such as psychotherapy, coping skills, and psychiatric education. At noon, the entire group has lunch together before starting the afternoon group sessions. Once the day is over, the patients are transported back their homes.

As part of the treatment plan, patients meet with a health professional once a week to evaluate their progress and make any changes to their individual therapy.

“This is not day care,” says Dr. Tabler. “Patients must show improvements or benefit from the services we offer.”

Some of the disorders treated by the program, include affective disorders, dementia, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders, phobias, and adjustment disorders.

One of the many benefits to the program is that the patient’s primary care physician and family are active in the treatment of the patient. Dr. Tabler consults with the primary care physician on the condition of the patient and assists with improving the overall health of the patient.

In addition, Clark Memorial provides family education in the evenings and on the weekends to help families understand the treatment process.

“Since we are very close to home, families and physicians have easier access to the patient and can take an active part in their treatment,” says Dr. Tabler.

For more information on the Partial Hospitalization Program, please contact Clark Memorial Hospital at 283-2708.

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