ABOUT MORTON PLANT NORTH BAY HOSPITAL — RECOVERY CENTER
BayCare, a nonprofit healthcare system, operates 15 hospitals in the Tampa Bay and central Florida region. Morton Plant North Bay Hospital’s Recovery Center is an inpatient psychiatric unit offering treatment for adults struggling with chemical dependency, as well as co-occurring disorders.
This facility is authorized to admit involuntary clients through the Baker Act. Clients must be referred by a hospital or psychiatric unit, a community provider, a public defender or attorney, the Department of Corrections, private insurers, or another authorized body.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
Upon admission, patients participate in an initial assessment to determine individual needs. Patients are monitored 24/7. The center provides short-term care only.** The length of stay depends on the client’s needs, though the goal of the hospital-based program is to quickly stabilize the patient and refer them to a less intensive level of care. Typically, the inpatient program generally lasts between three and seven days.
Morton Plant does not provide extensive information about its treatment programs, advertising only “a comprehensive range of services for adults with substance abuse disorders and co-existing mental health disorders.” Another BayCare facility indicated that its substance abuse treatment program includes 12-step meetings as well as individual and group therapy.
A Best-rehabs.com survey corroborated these findings and also indicated that the Recovery Center offers strong treatment for co-occurring disorders and some faith-based treatment. Along with therapeutic activities, the facility may also utilize pharmacological intervention to help stabilize the patient.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
According to Morton Plant’s website, the team includes psychiatrists, social workers, registered nurses, case managers, and mental health technicians.
Staff’s level of experience and training: 4.25/5 stars
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
Morton Plant’s facility offers 72 beds in a therapeutic, supervised environment. Patients have 24-hour access to medical and nursing attention.
Overall cleanliness and upkeep: 4.25/5 stars
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Of the five alumni reviews received by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing, one was positive and four were mixed. Three alumni gave two-star ratings for the facility’s counseling options. However, alum Y.C.E. wrote: “Wonderful Detox program.” Offering a four-star rating for the facility’s ability to treat co-occurring disorders, Y.C.E. added: “The group counseling was wonderful.”
Alumni praised food recurrently. “Food was good and adequate portions,” one anonymous reviewer wrote. However, two alumni agreed that staff could be more compassionate, with one writing citing a “lack of empathy” as a facility weakness.
On Google reviews, loved ones tended to leave positive reviews, though alumni also criticized the staff, supporting other alumni opinions. In a representative review, alum Marianna wrote: “Worst treatment I’ve ever gotten. Staff is completely void of any empathy and treats you as a burden or as if you did something wrong.” Collectively, the 36 individuals gave the facility an average rating of 2.2 out of five stars.
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
To date, the single review submitted to Best-rehabs.com by a loved one was positive. The anonymous loved one rated Morton Plant four out of five stars for the facility’s family program, counseling and holistic options, and treatment for co-occurring disorders. The loved one wrote: “Knowledgeable people and great facilities… They were very comforting and made my family member feel betterr. However, they added that the center was “sometimes understaffed.”
On the facility’s unofficial Facebook page, eight individuals gave the facility an average rating of 2.1 out of five stars. In writing, reviewers complained of unhelpful staff and mismanagement of medications. One loved one wrote: “Staff communication is horrible.”
FINANCING
According to its website, BayCare accepts most commercial insurance plans as well as Medicare and Medicaid HMO plans. Financial assistance is also available.
CONCLUSION
In July 2016, local CBS partner 10 News reported that the federal government had given Morton Plant three out of five stars in a general rating of hospitals.
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