Las Encinas Hospital - Pasadena, California

Judy M.

In 4/16/24 to 5/7/24 my son was admitted to Las Encinas Hospital. The whole staff were always kind and patient. I noticed the staff set boundaries which I am still learning to do when dealing with someone with mental illness. The patients are in different buildings which I came to appreciate. He was safe and kept cleaned. My son enjoyed the food. He also enjoyed the activities and breaks that was provided. Dr William Gillespie was helpful in providing my son with a diagnosis and treatment. My son has continue with his treatment after leaving the hospital. As a mom I want to thank you for helping in my son on his journey with mental illness.

Kim P.

I know someone in there now that is getting the help they need. Everyone has to do their part to make it work. Somedays they hate it and somedays they like it. But in (2) weeks even with the bad days they are doing so much better. Everyone has been very kind. So, not sure about all the low reviews but the experience for this person is completely different than I am reading. They started on a hold (72) hours that turned into (14) days and then transferred to Briar (drug rehab) . They are much happier at Briars as there is more freedom and now the work starts. Benzo addiction which is extremely difficult but making it through with the support from the staff. Food is good and getting on a schedule has been so important as they had no routine before. Sure not everything is perfect but under the circumstances it has been a life saving experience. And I truly mean life saving. Another day and they may not have made it. The paranoia and delusions caused from withdrawing are horrendous & heartbreaking to watch. They have a long road ahead but with the help and support at Las Encinas we all have been giving hope. Thank You so much

R G.

Never again!
Nurses Catherine and Corrie (1st floor) were fantastic, as were most of the med nurses. Art, activity, exercise group leaders were mostly good.

I was in this hospital over a decade ago, and it has had a serious decline. This is no longer a therapeutic environment. Groups are not announced, have a lot of time in between, or you’re just left sitting there waiting and nobody shows up.

30 minutes of exercise once a week, unhealthy food (hamburger patty literally swimming in grease), and the shampoo/conditioner/body wash they provide is nothing more than pink hand soap found in public bathrooms

I wasn’t given my regular medication for 18 hours after i arrived so i became ill. MHW (1 south) asked if I was detoxing from drugs, and gave me Tums for my nausea. I tested negative for drugs and blew a 0 on the breathalyzer when I entered the hospital. The social worker I saw the next morning said there are standing orders for some meds and didn’t understand why I hadn’t been given anything. After speaking with her I was given my medication.

Outdoor area was a dirt patch and stairs leading to it smell like urine. Anabel (2 west) was especially rude and clearly didn’t care. Bathrooms had peeling paint and smelled moldy.

Dr Ali khan told me I was going home and then changed his mind and tried to put me on a 14 day hold without any discussion. Nurse Catherine gave me a paper to sign and said that the doctor had discussed it with me. I refused to sign and she was very understanding about it.

I know someone who’s job is to process these types of holds. Apparently hospitals frequently file 14 day hold documents and cancel the day before the hearing. This way you can legally be kept there for 4 extra days and insurance can be billed for more days than may actually be necessary. Horrible!!!

Nicole L.

This is the most racist hospital that I have ever experienced. Imagine self admitting for feeling depressed, and leave feeling worse because of discrimination. I have been a patient at this facility twice, approximately two years in between. Both experiences were traumatic, sad, and filled with racism. This is unacceptable from a medical professional institution. I recommend that if you’re not Anglo-Saxon you find another hospital.

J. M.

For anyone dealing with emotional, or substance abuse Problems, Pick Up The Phone... It May Save Your Life; Lets think about this .. Pick Up The Phone ........ it Saved Mine.

Have a good Day, " Smile for Me, " - 2Pac Shakur -

Marino & Associates
DragonFly PSD Inc.

Saving Lives; Nothing More

J. Marino SLODA7044SNU

Moosey

Completely agree with review from Cece. They are after your insurance money, $9,275 for 5 nights.

Mind you, I didn't take a shower because the water was cold, and I didn't want to waste it waiting for it to warm up.

The doctor, Gillespie, only spends 1-3 minutes in each meeting, no evaluation, kept you there for no reason, my insurance shells out close to $600.

I met the rudest nurse in my life who treated you like a cattle. She would shout, "Go back!!! Go Back!!!" when she saw us approaching the nurse station.

Patient advocate, Lori, never returned our calls. Since our complaint letter about her will be directed to her, don't expect any action to be taken.
We have no patient advocate basically.

Ever heard of a mental health program without incorporating physical fitness? Not even reading material available.
This place will depress you to no end.

On my last day, whoever took my bag from my room, used the chance to go over my belongings & STOLE my new eye cream! Why couldn't she wait until I came back from the group session?
My discharge time wasn't up until 3 hours later. Anabell didn't allow me to see my bag after that, now I know why.

Director didn't return my call.

Matt E.

I stayed at Las Encinas for almost 14 days. While the facility does have its imperfections (similar to any business, hospital, institution and/or human being), I was always treated with dignity and respect. There were certainly moments where I was struggling badly, but even in those moments I was largely treated with professionalism, compassion, and candor. Huge props to Dennis and Doug (and Nancy!) for walking me back from the proverbial cliff on two separate occasions. It takes special people to pull that off. At the end of the day, the staff did care about our well-being and were always trying their best, even at the end of their 3rd or 4th 12hr shift. One or two could probably try harder, but we do need to have some empathy.

Staff special shouts: DOUG, Dennis, Nancy, Carmen, Enrique, Kim, Christian, Angela, Favour, Tina, Corri, Sharron, Alma, Ysenia, Myra, Patrick (Jedi therapist), Julie C, Dr A, Trev dawg, and the countless other staff who's names are escaping me. Sorry!

Also, there was a tall nurse with a ponytail who gave me a book titled, “The long way to a small angry planet”. I only met him for once during my intake and once in the hallways but dude… that guy changed my life.

My fellow patients were all beautiful human beings simply going through hard times. Shockingly normal too. A couple people did end up needing a higher level of care but I genuinely felt safe around everyone. Highly recommend this place.

To the other commenters: I’m glad you were all able to express your opinions. Every hospital should be accountable to the clients under their care.

CYNTHIA A. M.

The Outpatient IEP program is great and full of caring knowledgeable people. The inpatient treatment program is not good. Stabilizing and discharging is all they care to do, there’s no “team” working together to help the patient. The nursing staff gets moved around and I’d say 1percent actually care. The doctor I dealt with was unwilling to collaborate with anyone, I feel he was irresponsible with his use of medication with my loved one. The youngsters they have helping look and behave like they just got discharged out of the drug unit, unprofessional, unfriendly attitude for the most part. One also gave my loved one very bad advice. It’s chaos the way it’s run, almost as bad as Cerritos College Hospital, at least the nurses there were kind and polite to me when I called. One head staff member there Julie Crenshaw, told me I was lucky my loved one was able to be there as long as he was and made excuses for her irresponsible case worker. Shame on that place. It should be a place for healing and it is not. I’m not speaking of the rehab unit either, I know nothing of that unit.