How Can I Prepare My Teen for a Hospital Stay?
The Wendy Paine O’Brien Behavioral Health Inpatient Treatment Center for teens ages 13 through 17 is a structured living environment. The trained staff offers support and continual supervision. On average, teens stay with us 3 to 7 days. Your teen’s doctor is directly involved with his or her care during that time and provides any prescribed medications.
What’s the Hospital Admission Process?
The admission process covers 4 main steps:
- Registration — the patient and adult family member complete paperwork
- Physical assessment — a nurse or doctor examines the patient
- Orientation — a staff member takes the patient on a facility tour
- Commitment — the patient and adult family member read and sign commitment papers
At the end of the admission process, we give patients a handbook to help familiarize them with their hospital routine. It’s also a useful reference during their stay.
What Services Can My Teen Get?
We provide a variety of services and learning experiences, such as:
- Family services
- Group therapy
- Skill building groups
- Additional therapy services as needed
What Rules Are in Place for My Teen?
For your child’s health and safety, your child will be expected to:
- Maintain proper hygiene
- Complete all tasks, academic work and assigned chores
- Take medications as prescribed
- Make only one brief phone call each evening before lights out at 9:30 p.m.
What Can My Teen Bring to the Hospital?
Storage space is small, so we ask you to limit the personal items your teen brings. We lock the following items in the storage area during your teen’s stay:
- Backpacks
- Purses
- Luggage
- Tote bags
We also ask parents and/or guardians to take certain items home, including:
- Jewelry
- Cash or credit cards
- Important identification documents – Social Security card, driver’s license, etc.
- Cell phones, computers, laptops
We don’t allow the following items:
- Jewelry (including body piercings of any kind)
- Immodest and/or suggestive clothing and accessories that depict death, violence, drugs, alcohol, weapons, sex, gangs, etc.
- Ball caps, bandannas and scarves
- Cash
For the safety of all patients, staff members at the nurse’s station check items brought in for patients during visits.
Can My Teen Have Visitors?
Yes. Parents and/or guardians may visit once a day from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. (2 visitors allowed per day). We don’t allow visits from friends and other family members. Parents and/or guardians need a visitor’s pass from the front desk and must check in with a staff member before each patient visit.
Parents and/or guardians are encouraged to review the Adolescent Prohibited Items, Limited Use Items and Valuables List.
To review our Public Visitor Policy, choose your teen’s location and see the Patients & Visitors tab for more information.
How Can I Prepare for My Hospitalization?
Banner Health staff members treat patients in the Saguaro and Kachina units. The inpatient program provides a structured living environment and continual supervision. We encourage patients to include family members or significant others (over the age of 18) in our family program. Physicians are directly involved with patient care and provide any prescribed medications.
What’s the Hospital Admission Process?
The admission process covers 5 main steps:
- Registration — the patient completes paperwork
- Physical assessment — a nurse or doctor examines the patient
- Orientation — a staff member takes the patient on a facility tour
- Commitment — the patient reads and signs commitment papers
- Release authorization — the patient signs forms to release information to family members or friends (optional)
At the end of the admission process, we give you a handbook to help familiarize you with your hospital routine. It’s also a useful reference during your stay.
You will also receive a daily schedule that includes:
- Individual, family or group therapy
- Opportunities for relaxation activities, reading, recreation and phone calls
- Time for visitors
What Rules Are in Place if I’m an Inpatient?
For your health and safety, we ask you to obey a few rules, which include:
- Maintain proper hygiene
- Complete all responsibilities
- Take medications as directed
- Place or receive brief phone calls between 7 a.m.-10 p.m. except during treatment
What Can I Bring?
The average length of stay is 3 to 7 days. Don’t bring more than you would pack for a short, informal vacation. The following items will be locked in the storage area during your stay:
- Backpacks
- Purses
- Luggage
- Tote bags
We ask you to leave large sums of money, credit cards, jewelry, cell phones, laptops and tablets at home. You may keep up to $10 at the nursing station for snacks. Please review the Prohibited Items, Limited Use Items and Valuables List.
Can I Have Visitors?
Yes. Banner Health serves a diverse population. To meet everyone’s needs, we have different visiting hours depending of the patient’s level of care. To find specific visiting hours, choose a location and reference the Patients & Visitors tab.
We encourage family members and friends to attend the family group sessions when they visit. The weekend groups are geared to help the family understand addiction and recovery.
To review our Public Visitor Policy, choose your location and see the Patients & Visitors tab for more information.
For the safety of all patients, staff members at the nurse’s station check items brought in for a patient during visits. If you are unsure of what items are not permitted, please review the Prohibited Items, Limited Use Items and Valuables List.