McLean SouthEast Reaches Out to Patients and Families

For many years, McLean has sought feedback from patients about the care they receive on inpatient units and in residential treatment programs. McLean is now piloting ways to obtain feedback from families about their perceptions of the care provided to their loved ones.

McLean SouthEast, the hospital’s 11-year-old satellite in Brockton, Massachusetts, is one of several hospital programs testing the new “family survey.” The short questionnaire asks family members about their level of satisfaction on a variety of topics, including improvement in their loved one’s mental health, communication with the treatment team, and involvement in aftercare planning.

“We are very proud of this survey instrument,” said Mark Longsjo, LICSW, program director of McLean SouthEast’s Adult Psychiatric Program. “We continue to work to improve the ways we solicit and respond to feedback from family members across McLean services and programs.”

So far, the feedback about McLean SouthEast, both its adult program and the Adolescent Acute Residential Treatment Program, has been extremely positive, according to Longsjo.

McLean opened its South Shore satellite in 1999 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Demand quickly outpaced capacity so the program moved to the grounds of the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Brockton in 2004, adding adult beds and residential and day services for adolescents.

Since then, the adult and adolescent programs have earned superb reputations and have become key providers of psychiatric services in Southeastern Massachusetts. Each program distinguishes itself for its highly individualized treatment. “Our care is very person-oriented,” said Joan Kovach, RN/PC, nurse director for the McLean SouthEast adult program. “We pride ourselves in providing compassionate, safe care as well as in getting to know patients and families despite short lengths of stay. We use alternative experiences, such as music, writing, gardening, and our sensory room, to expand the ways our patients manage their symptoms and ultimately, enhance their lives.”

The adolescent program is known for its intensity and richness of offerings, according to Mark Picciotto, PhD, program director. “We offer eight hours of groups a day, rigorous and continuous work with families, and an astonishing amount of psychiatric services, with two psychiatrists onsite. This allows the most opportunities for adolescents and their families to make positive life changes.”