Western State Hospital

Theres no place to park . Theres a new parking lot which looks finished and no construction workers are there working on it. It looks ready to go and its closed off. People are parking instead anyplace they can such as fire lanes and even driving over curbs and also parking in ditches. Alot of areas alongside the streets are taped off no parking. There aparently is a parking lot you can take a bus from to the entrance of the hospital. It seems like it would make alot more sense to let peoole park in the parking lot. I could see closing it while its being built but after its done why cant visitors or staff use it? They take away the parking lot and then say you cant park anyplace around there either. You would think they wouod open it as soon as possible but it just sits there empty

My son has been well taken care of during his multiple stays at the hospital. I've met and talked to my son's medical team and I've found them to be professional and caring. Mental health is very difficult to treat since many patients often don't cooperate with the staff. Still, I find the staff working hard to accommodate their patient's needs.

I've also learned that family can have a greater impact on a patient's success in their treatment, but it requires patience and time. What ever help you can give to the medical staff, will invariably double the effectiveness of treatment. In other words, there are no miracles.

This is the only facility of it's kind in the state, therefore it is up to you to provide the best help and contribution to your beloved's health.

Won't let me in and I wish could become a secured resident and such useless organization. Staff don't care to help someone who is in need of confinement.

I stayed here and though understaffed - the staff did a really good job in trying to meet all of our needs. The intro strip search and no meds on your admission day is really awful - there should be some continuity with your current meds until your evaluation by the MD. Also, I have severe physical issues and being locked out of my room so I could not lay down to relieve back pain plays a serious issue with my returning there. Food was great. Caring group sessions though as a counselor myself, did have issues with some of the discussions. I self medicate at home and there is none of that here for sure. Medication giving is a problem. But, was much better than Lourdes or Vandy psych units and would rather go there.

I've had to visit a family member here and staff has always been very polite and helpful. We're all thankful that a facility like this exists in the state when so many are being closed down. Thanks to Western State, my family member was able to receive the mental health care as well as supervision from attentive staff without being kept in a jail facility. They have been to many transitional MH facilities that may or may not have the right level of care for his specific needs, but I always feel he is safe & well cared for when he is here. Unfortunately, the services here are needed so much throughout the state & region that it is, yes, difficult to get in.

While I myself have never been to this hospital, my father had worked at two of the three state hospitals that once made up one of the top five mental health care systems in this country, Northern State Hospital in Skagit County and Western State In Pierce County. I noted a few comments regarding the farm/garden programs that mad up most of the success of this system in the beginning. I feel a need to make a comment that Northern State Hospital was really the only facility to use the farm and patient interaction programs fully, The fam was located there and the patients were allowed to tend the crops and animals IF they worked to progress their treatments and cooperated (or tried to do so). The hospital was closed by Governor Evans, but not because of funding. It was fully self-sufficient and provided for itself without needing extra support or funding. When shut down patients were shuffled to Western State and Eastern or left to find their own way (or not) and we went from the top care to the bottom for patients before the end of the year. Western State had only been backup for care and when patient care dropped it made all our backup facilities crash with it. So theorists who claim budget and funding cuts need to consider that the PROFITS brought in by the farm were stepping on someone's toes in WA DC, not WA State.

WORST place EVER! My mom has been here for almost a year. She has severe dementia and Alzheimers and she is treated like a dog. It's an extremely fishy hospital as well...the workers look like they belong there as patients. There is NO supervision so to speak. And this is just the beginning of my rant. If you want more details, I will speak privately.

Very unhelpful and shady. I called the number listed on Bing for DSHS when I needed to change an address. A woman answered the phone and blandly told me I needed to call DSHS for questions like that, explaining that I had called Western State Hospital. I told her I was looking right at the computer screen and THIS number was the one listed for DSHS. She said "We're all under the same umbrella, but this is not the number you should call." When I asked her what the real number was for DSHS, she said she didn't know (even though they are all listed under the same "umbrella"). She refused to give me her name, her extension, or any other information that could lead back to her because she knew she was being unhelpful, in the very least. I can't imaging what it would be like to have someone I love here. Nope.

Well what do you expect when you bring your mother to a place like that!!! I'm a certified nurse assistant with seven years of exp. We talk to patients differently then we do with normal people. If you would take a dementia and other mental classes you would understand. Or just walk into a nursing home and start talking to the resident you will see how you would talk differently to them.
How about you take care of 10 or 12 patients at one time!!! How would you like to be abused by a patient but you can't do nothing about it!! Put yourself in our shoes lady....or better yet take care of your mom yourself and maybe you'll appreciate the hard work we do.