Medical Psychiatric Integrated Care Unit

Below are some examples of conditions we treat in our inpatient unit:

• Somatic symptom and related disorders (such as functional neurological symptom disorder) with:
  • Severe decline in daily functioning or loss of activities of daily living
  • Severe depression or anxiety
  • Intensive integrated rehabilitation service needs
• Disordered eating with:
  • Active suicidal ideation
  • Need for feeding tube support
• Complex medical needs such as tracheostomy, advanced respiratory support or paraplegia accompanied by situational or chronic mental health crises.
• Chronic medical conditions that significantly impact mental health

This depends on a variety of factors. Children must be between 6 and 17 years old with medical and psychiatric conditions that require an inpatient level of care. Additionally, we require that all patients be able to safely participate and engage in a social, group setting. 

Our team focuses on the clinical, psychological and social health of your child. Your child will work with the following team members:

• Clinical
  • Pediatric hospitalists
  • Nurses
  • Rehabilitation specialists, including physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech language pathologists
  • Dieticians
     
• Psychological
  • Child and adolescent psychiatrists
  • Pediatric psychologists
  • Psychiatric APRNs
  • Licensed clinical social workers
  • Behavioral health milieu technicians 
     
• Social
  • Child life specialists
  • Recreation therapists
  • Teachers
  • Behavioral health care coordinator
  • Health unit coordinator 

To be admitted to IC5, all patients must first be referred by their provider. Sometimes this is a provider they see while admitted to the hospital, and sometimes this is a provider they see for an outpatient primary or specialty care visit. Once a referral is made, the IC5 team reviews each patient and determines if they meet criteria for admission. Often, seeking preapproval from your child’s health insurance is an important part of the review process.

Because of the busy daily schedule with school, therapies, and doctor visits, families do not stay on IC5 with their children, and families do not sleep in the unit with their child. 

There are visiting hours every day between 3 – 4:30 pm and 6 – 8 pm. On weekends, families may also visit between 11 am – 12:30 pm. 

Yes. Patients may list up to 4 adults (must be over 18 years old) who can call IC5 to speak with them. Patients can also call these 4 adults from the unit phone. 

Patients do not have their cell phones with them on IC5. Your child’s cell phone must be kept either in their locker or brought home by a family member.

Yes. Patients on IC5 complete schoolwork every weekday morning for 2 hours. With a guardian's permission, our teachers can communicate with your child’s school to coordinate schoolwork. We supply Chromebooks for students to access schoolwork from their district school.

Patients wear their own clothes, provided they are able to maintain their safety in those clothes. There are certain restrictions on the types of clothes that can be worn on IC5, including no zippers, drawstrings, hoods, belts, scarves, hats, jewelry, or underwire. When each patient first arrives to IC5, they undergo a supervised clothing change and skin check to ensure their safety and the safety of their peers and staff.

Patients can bring their own toiletry items from home. They will be stored in their locker, and our staff will distribute them whenever they are needed. There are certain guidelines on toiletry items that are reviewed with patients and families when they arrive.

We all need to take a break sometimes. We encourage patients to use the sensory room and quiet nook areas of the unit when they need time for themselves. They can do so individually or with our highly trained behavioral health milieu technician staff. We do not allow patients to spend time in their rooms during the day. Patient rooms are closed during the day but can be accessed to use the bathroom or to get an item needed from their room. To promote sleep hygiene, daytime napping is not encouraged. In situations where there are clinical indications for daytime rest, time for rest can be built into a behavioral plan as designed by the treatment team.  While there are no televisions or access to the internet, every room has large touch screen monitors with games, puzzles, drawing space, and meditation sounds.

Each child is unique. Our team makes an individualized treatment plan for each patient which takes into account their unique circumstances. The average length of stay is about 2 weeks.