Psychiatric & substance use disorders treated at Silver Hill Hospital

A Complete Psychiatric Hospital Focused Solely on Diagnosis and Treatment

Providing you the best possible psychiatric and substance abuse treatment is our sole mission, our only reason to be here - and all we do.

If you come to Silver Hill Hospital you will be treated by one of our full-time, highly trained psychiatrists, who have no other responsibility than the care of our patients. You won't be admitted to a "training unit". You won't be asked to take part in a research study. Our experienced psychiatric staff often identifies illnesses you were not aware of and provides the entire range of treatments you need. Our affiliation with the Yale University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry helps us stay on the cutting edge of treatment advances. Our broad expertise in psychiatry and substance abuse and the wide range of treatments we can provide means that we deliver a program that gives you the very best chance of recovery.

	Silver Hill Hospital	Option B
Does the facility solely focus on psychiatry and substance abuse treatment?
Will your treatment be in the hands of an experienced psychiatrist who only has treatment responsibilities?

Expertise and Long Experience In Treating Dual Disorders

About two thirds of people who are admitted to a psychiatric hospital or drug rehab center have both a psychiatric and substance use disorder - referred to as dual or co-occurring disorders. Very often, the associated disorder is not recognized by the patient and not identified by the facility. In a typical drug rehab center, for example, the staff does not have the expertise to diagnose and treat patients with several different complex problems, making full recovery less likely. At Silver Hill Hospital we put a lot of effort into identifying these dual problems and treating both of them at the same time. We can do it because we have 11 full-time psychiatrists on our staff and a treatment team with extensive training and experience. Many facilities claim to be able to do this but don't have the trained staff. We do it every day.

	Silver Hill Hospital	Option B
Can the facility justify the claim of being able to identify and treat dual disorders?

An Extensive Range of Specialized Treatment Programs

Silver Hill Hospital provides a range of distinctly different programs that offer patients exactly the treatments they need for their particular state of illness or recovery. Silver Hill Hospital is nearly unique in providing inpatient programs, like a general hospital, and long-term residential programs, like a residential specialty facility or a drug rehab center - all here on one campus.

Often, patients and families do not know what level of care is required until a patient is evaluated. At Silver Hill Hospital, a psychiatrist evaluates each patient at the time of admission to determine which level of care is required. As your needs change during the course of your treatment, we can accommodate them. A quarter of the patients who are treated in our inpatient programs continue their treatment in our residential programs, which provide a more intensive behavioral and counseling program in a more open environment. If a patient in a residential program needs to briefly move back to the inpatient program for additional stabilization that move and the transition back to the residential program is easy and seamless.

	Silver Hill Hospital	Option B
Does the facility you're considering offer multiple levels of care and specialized treatment programs?
Does a psychiatrist at the facility you're considering perform an initial evaluation to determine the appropriate level of care?

A Staff that is Experienced, Licensed - and Available

At Silver Hill Hospital you will find a high staff-to-patient ratio, full-time board-certified psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses and licensed clinical social workers.

Our knowledgeable staff has many years of experience. On average, our physicians have 19 years of experience, nurses 24 years and social workers 10 years.
In our inpatient programs, each psychiatrist and social worker take care of an average of only 8 patients at a time and our nursing staff-to-patient ratio is 1:3.
Because patients in our residential programs are able to utilize more intensive behavioral and psychological treatments, these programs are staffed with more social workers and residential counselors and fewer nurses.
Each patient admitted to Silver Hill Hospital is assigned a psychiatrist who oversees his/her treatment. With 11 full-time psychiatrists, eight of whom are sub-specialists in two areas of psychiatry, and psychiatrists onsite 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you can be sure that you will always have immediate access to psychiatric interventions.

	Silver Hill Hospital	Option B
Does the facility provide staffing above the standard levels?
Is the clinical staff experienced and licensed?

Family Involvement and Family Support

At Silver Hill Hospital, we understand the impact of psychiatric and substance use illnesses on families and we help families move beyond the suffering caused by these illnesses. Depending on the program, we offer weekly family forums, DBT family groups and an intensive 4-day family program - all to help family members learn how to support the patient's recovery and preserve the stability and integrity of their own lives.

	Silver Hill Hospital	Option B
Does the program offer intensive family programs?

Proximity of Program to your Residence

Proximity is important - it facilitates family participation and a smoother transition back to home, work or school. Silver Hill Hospital is located only 50 miles north of New York City, 49 miles from Englewood, NJ and 73 miles from Hartford. The location ensures your family members will be able to attend family groups and participate in individual family sessions with your social worker. Silver Hill Hospital's flexible Transitional Living programs provide the clinical support you need as you begin the move back to community living and home - and the proximity allows for part-time participation in the clinical program as you begin the transition to work.

	Silver Hill Hospital	Option B
Is the location convenient?
Does the facility allow part-time participation in the clinical program?

Commitment to Quality and Patient Safety

At Silver Hill Hospital, our commitment to high quality care and patient safety is paramount to our treatment. Silver Hill Hospital is licensed by the State of Connecticut and has been accredited by The Joint Commission since 1962. Our Performance Improvement team monitors many quality and patient-safety indicators and continually develops new ways to assess our clinical performance. Our new comprehensive electronic health record enables the members of the clinical team to have immediate access to your paperless medical record – including current medications, notes from family meetings, multi-disciplinary treatment plans and laboratory results - so they have all of the information they need to help you get better faster.

	Silver Hill Hospital	Option B
Is the facility you're considering accredited and have external oversight?
Does the facility have an integrated electronic clinical record?

A Physical Environment That Supports Your Recovery

Our beautiful campus and facilities compare favorably with any treatment center in the country. But we are not a spa, and pretty facilities will not get you better. Patients come to Silver Hill Hospital because they want the treatments that we provide and although we have renovated virtually every building, your treatment is our main focus. At the same time, we believe the constructive use of leisure time is an important adjunct to recovery from illness. To that end, we have fully equipped computer labs, a fitness center, full-size gymnasium, indoor heated pool, tennis court and ROPES course. Our wellness program provides Acupuncture, Jin Shin Acupressure, Reiki, Massage, Yoga and Pilates.

	Silver Hill Hospital	Option B
Does the program you are considering emphasize treatment over amenities?
Does the facility provide recreational activities?
Does the facility offer wellness services?