Griffin Hospital

I had to be at this facility twice. The first time I was sent there from their close neighbor, Red Rock, like a punishment; however, others (staff) told me that Griffin was more caring than Red Rock -they said they had more activities, too. For that reason, many patients that weren't released within 5-7 days looked forward to being sent to Griffin, like I was. Your experience at Griffin is likely to be very much affected by the unit they put you in. When I was in a non-100 unit, I was not met with as much caring staff. In the 100 unit, the staff were amazingly caring; for a mental hospital it was great . . . a stark contrast from their poor neighbor, Red Rock, which is a far cry from helpful, in any form. While in the 100 unit, though, a patient was moved from her "home" unit to this introductory unit, and she was LOUD, shouting all the time . .. I think she pooped her pants once, in the common area . . . complained about EVERYTHING ("NOOO!!!!") . . . she'd been there for many years . . . very counter-productive to mental stabilization! There was another patient who'd been in there for 16 years -scary!! Some of the staff though were SO caring, and I'm sure they had no say with how long some of the patients had been there. All mental hospitals are very difficult, I think, but compared to the rest, this has definitely been one of the better places.

The staff is very professional and understanding of everyones personnal situation. Good classes, counseling, & personal attention. I've never had any problem with visitation and the supervisors are very patient when visiting hours are over. They need to fix the heating and air conditioning.

I'm the oldest child of a fort patient. I can petsperson say this they've refused to even give me the records that I'm requesting. It's been since 1995. I've still wanted the records since. How can I get them?

Best place to work!

Well this is pretty brazen of me I guess, since with regards to health, mental health, or ANYTHING that might be protected by HIPAA...any and all posts SHOULD be able to be posted anonymously, but I can tell you that several years ago (before I got the Holy Spirit/does that sound crazy...whatever...think what you will), I was going through a very depressed time in my life (and then, you know, God saves and stuff), but I knew I was sad beyond words and needed help and checked myself in for help. Well, I kind of felt that it was all in vain, but as it turns out, this facility helped me a great deal before faith took over and healed what was broken w/out meds. Even though God heals in a different way, at the time, I didn't really know that in my heart....but Griffin was a God-send at the time. About 99% of the staff was AMAZING! They were helpful, kind, nurturing, attentive, and honestly...there have been several times that I missed being sick...just because I missed how awesome this facility and its staff were. Sounds weird right? Well, some people just don't have a great support group, or even though they have people who would like to help....those ppl simply may not know HOW to help. When a crisis arises, it can affect an entire family. And sometimes, the depressed person & their families need a vacation if you will....a time with doctors & nurses who can and are willing to help. While, the doctors (which are much fewer than the staff nurses and techs) you might have to be cautious of (well lets just say not everyone gets A's in their college courses), a person can seek out (if able), doctors on site who are amazing. Yet, some are iffy. But the staff seemed to compensate for bad docs while one seeks out the good ones. I'd say the ratio is about 50/50 though of bad to good docs. However, docs don't do nearly as much work as Griffins staff does...and they are awesome. The programs are informative and restful for a depressed person, and they really give a person time to heal. Bottom line...if you don't like the doc at first, ask to switch until you find a good one, and acknowledge that this is a good place to seek help. And I think if you look for the best from this facility, you can find it. And even more, if you find that help, do what you can immediately to help others. Give them good advice, and try to teach them all you know in order to help them. Again, it may sound strange that a sick person can help other sick ppl, but then, who else can understand the sick but a person who has needed help and found it. However, if you run into an obstacle, please fill out those complaint forms, bcuz Griffin will listen and be attentive to those issues....if they see that it is not just a frivolous or ridiculous issue. I had an issue with a staff member or two, and filled out the complaint forms, and Griffin called me while on site, and inquired about said issues....and believe it or not, they handled it in MY best interest...not just theirs. And though I haven't had a need to go back in years (since I got the Holy Spirit), I really only have fond memories of staff members who were so good to me that I could cry happy tears. God Bless Griffin Mem'l Hospital and all the wonderful work they do to help people who need it. However, there are many ppl who will just complain about anything. You could give them a million dollars and they'd complain they didn't get 2 million. Ridiculous! Ergo, you can see your glass as half full or half empty, but no matter what you see, based on what I saw, it won't be because Griffin didn't do their best to help. Thank you Griffin, for all your hard work and attention.