Youth Inpatient Services

In some situations, inpatient evaluation and treatment is the best setting for recovery. Our Youth Inpatient Team sees youth ages 8 – 17 who are experiencing serious emotional and acute behavioral disturbances. Treatment offers family-centered, collaborative care assisting youth and their families in building skills to help them thrive on return to their home and community environment. With 10 beds for children and adolescents, the Youth Inpatient Unit serves young people from across the state (including Kitsap County) with a wide variety of clinical symptoms.

Admissions to the Youth Inpatient Unit can be made on a voluntary or involuntary basis depending on the needs of the client and family, and the youth’s individual presentation.  If you or someone you care about may be in need of inpatient evaluation and treatment services, call the Volunteers of America Crisis Call Line at 1-888-910-0416 where professional staff are available 24/7 to offer assistance. They will ensure that the help offered is appropriate for the crisis someone is experiencing.  Dependent on the level of need, this may include dispatching the KMHS Designated Crisis Response Team for emergency assessment. Following assessment, referrals to inpatient care may be made if necessary for involuntary or voluntary detention in our evaluation and treatment center or other psychiatric facility or substance use treatment facility.  DCRs seek to assist people in crisis with the least restrictive services needed to support them in their recovery.

Visitor Hours for the Youth Inpatient Unit are:

Monday – Friday 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Saturday, Sunday, and Holidays 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Support from family and friends who visit can be an important part of a treatment program. Please help the staff make your visit a positive experience for the resident. One way to do this is by contacting staff before your visit to be sure that the resident is ready for visitors and that the visit will support the resident’s treatment plan.

In addition, because some residents of the YIU have attempted to harm themselves or others, the safety of residents, guests and staff is very important. Please follow these safety precautions:

1. Call prior to visiting. The phone number for the YIU is 360-377-8583.

2. Always check in and out with staff when visiting, and leave purses, cell phones, etc. in your car, hidden from view.

3. Do not give any items of money to a resident without prior clearance from staff. Please do not bring your child food items (candy, fruit, etc.)

4. Respect the importance of the treatment program by calling during scheduled calling times. These are weekdays 12:30 to 1:00 pm and 5:00 to 6:00 pm; weekend calling times are 2:00 to 4:00 pm.

5. Respect the importance of the treatment program by visiting during scheduled visiting times. These are weekdays from 5:00 to 6:00 pm and weekends from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. Weekend visit times can be adjusted with prior arrangements made through the therapist.

6. Visiting is strongly discouraged during the first 24 hours of admission.

7. Cooperate with any requests made by staff regarding the location, length and frequency of visits, or any special concerns regarding the resident you are visiting.

8. Generally, visits will be limited to parents. Any other visitors must schedule with the primary therapist. No one under the age of 18 is allowed to visit on the unit. The waiting room may be available for residents to visit with family members, including minors. This space is available on a first come first served basis. To reserve this space, make arrangements through your child’s therapist. Your visit will be normally limited to 60 minutes (30 minutes if other families are in need of the space). Other areas for private visits can, at times, be arranged with the therapist.

9. Although we welcome visitors, the safety and well-being of residents is always the highest priority. Therefore, occasions may arise when staff may need to limit or restrict the length of visits. You will be given a complete explanation should such a situation arise. We ask for your cooperation in these matters.

If you have any questions regarding the general treatment program, feel free to ask staff. Questions regarding a particular resident’s treatment or progress are limited by confidentiality requirements and are best addressed by the resident’s primary therapist.

One in five Americans will experience some type of mental illness during their lifetime.