Nevada County Crisis Stabilization Unit - Grass Valley, California

PJ Wells

I’m glad I waited to post my review of the CSU at SNMH. They claim they are an entirely separate entity from the hospital, which is simply not the case. I have seen on several occasions/visits over the past year, doctors and nurses from the ER coming to their door repeatedly and consistently. In fact, the doctors that came up the ramp when I was there recently have acted brazenly unprofessional, and have heckled me a few times, stating, “What, they making you wait outside?” and more insensitive comments like this. Because it’s like, when I’m experiencing psychotic symptoms, that joke isn’t really even funny, in fact, it’s disgustingly disrespectful. I was mistreated at the ER and CSU recently during a psychotic episode, (2 separate occasions) and the staff was completely ill-equipped in all aspects, but it comes down to training. The staff supervisor at the CSU admits to not being trauma-informed, nor any other staff employed therein, mind you, after the intake worker concluded and I escalated to a borderline admit to the ER. Disclosure of any trauma, old or fresh, isn’t always enough if that someone treating you, or staffed to “listen,” doesn’t understand where you are coming from or how to properly respond. For example, if you have become violent around your family or children during an episode or maybe they have been violent towards you, to ANY degree of severity, the proper initial response would be to listen and ensure safety, NOT seize the opportunity to disclose and reinforce that they are mandated reporters. If I am there seeking help in a state induced by immediate trauma, timing on this disclosure of ethics is everything, right? I am not trying to impugn the importance of mandated reporting, but if the person across from you is hallucinating, maybe it’s best to probe further without injecting fear as a barrier? I thought the inherent purpose of the CSU was to deescalate, to receive care and emergency respite, or so I was told by community mental health advocates, Nevada County Crisis among those. No, apparently, it’s to shame you straight away during an episode, MORE systematic power mongering. In my case, I came in completely confused and disoriented, and thankfully I resisted the care they offered me, although refusing care was a terrifying process because I was experiencing acute psychotic symptoms, as I mentioned. During my intake interview, the worker asked after several minutes if I attended church regularly, because church is a proper and helpful place to activate community and social supports, and here is where my anger trigger helped me stop the conversation. My anger actually activated my lucidity in a moment of sheer terror. I will say, the consistent trauma-informed offering they have had every time I have been in, is a “bed.” Except, how does one hurdle over their interviews to actually get to rest and self-assessment? Is this a screening process to steer people away because they don’t have the facilities? Am I being naive here? Maybe so, but who actually listens to and responds to our complaints? The good news is, with enough bad reviews, the funding will hopefully be directed towards better mental health training for their staff. I’m not holding my breath on that.

Blake and Ashley Barrios

I specifically asked the therapist not to place me at St.Helena hospital due to previous trauma there as a teen and he and the social worker ignored my request and transferred me to that specific hospital anyways even though my insurance also didn't cover my stay there. I pleaded with the ER staff to send me home with a safety plan or any other facility and the therapist from CSU continued to enforce St.Helena even though I was in tears and explaining over and over that was the one hospital I was afraid to go back to. The entire ambulance ride there (3.5hrs) and upon admission to St.Helena I had panic attacks. Now that I'm back home my doctor and actual therapist are having to work through new anxiety and ptsd issues with me from my stay there. I felt invalidated and unheard by CSU.

Greyson Stone

When I checked in I came from camping and had some very nice tempurpedic Layla pillows that I brought in and when I was brought over to the hospital I never saw my stuff again and Sandra Farley did nothing at all to help me but made me sign a paper saying I picked up all my stuff even though I said I never had my pillows back so she basically tricked me and told me that she can no longer help me because I sign the waiver even though I have dozens of phone calls with her asking her to review the cameras to tell me who the last person was in my room. Each room is loaded with cameras but they can't tell me who picked up my stuff out of that room? So I am now out hundreds of dollars in pillows (two memory foam pillows) and Sandra has made it absolutely impossible to get a hold of her or to even try to help me whatsoever. This place is a scam and is employed by horrible people who have no empathy or sympathy or compassion towards anybody at all Morgan is an exception.

Sasha Red

i told them specifically i had been abused and neglected at aurora the mental hospital in santa rosa and to please not put me there again because i spoke out and would recieve backlash from the aurora staff for exposing the abuse. the CSU staff said not to worry, they'd find me a bed at a different facility. there was a sticky note on my file saying not to place me there, and a staff membet crumpled it up and said ignore that because there was a bed available only there so far, and they tried to sneak me there after me and my family specifically said no. it ended in tears and screaming because they tried to sneak me there without telling anyone, i only knew i was going because i overheard the nurses. in the end, thank god they actually found a different facility only half an hour away rather than aurora (almost 4 hours away)

Alexis Nelson

This is a shameful representation of how to deal with mental health. This building and it’s services are scraping by. There are nice people in here but their skills are lost to disconnected doctors and leaders that value their own ego over help and care for the patient. This is a failure of mental health services. Do not go here voluntarily and I pray no one abandons you here.

Jessica Griffen

Had a really positive experience here. A very close family member needed help and the staff were wonderful and helped us navigate their situation. I highly recommend to anyone facing a crisis or mental health crisis.

Gustavo Benitez

Staff is unaware of how to get to the facility

Ashley Elizabeth