Unit description: 15 beds, 3 classrooms

Patient population: Patients 4-17 years old with severe psychiatric and/or behavioral problems.

Unit information: Two integrated programs share the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry unit and the same multidisciplinary staff.

• Inpatient: This is a short term, traditional 24-hour service option for patients up to the age of 18. There is structured programming for eating disorders and general psychiatry patients who cannot be cared for in a less restrictive setting.
• Therapeutic Day School (Circle School): This is a special education program that serves students whose behavioral or emotional problems are so severe they cannot be educated in the most restrictive classroom settings in the public schools. Students can be enrolled for short term or longer-term education.

Children and adolescents are served by nurses, psychiatrists, social workers, special education teachers, activities therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists. A primary care assignment system is combined with a multidisciplinary team approach to plan individualized care for each patient and student. Primary nurses participate in admission assessment interviews, family meetings, and multidisciplinary review rounds. They are central players on the multidisciplinary team.

Among the various aspects of participative management are self-scheduling; peer review and self-evaluation; and opportunities for involvement in clinical program development and strategic planning for all staff.

Location: 1st Floor, East John Pappajohn Pavilion