ABOUT NORWOOD HEALTH CENTER
Located in the Wood County Annex and Health Center in Marshfield, Wis., about 90 minutes east of Eau Claire, the Norwood Health Center provides acute and psychiatric treatment services for adults with severe and persistent mental illness. The state-licensed specialty hospital also runs a dedicated eight-bed post-acute rehabilitative unit for traumatic brain injury.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
In total, Norwood Health Center operates four specialty units dedicated to helping adults return as quickly as possible to their families and communities: Admissions, Crossroads, Pathways, and Bridgeway.
The Admissions unit offers a 24-hour supportive environment for adults aged 18 as well as teens (12-17) who require emergency care on a non-voluntary basis. Treatment at Admissions is both short-term and intensive, providing “rapid evaluation and stabilization” from an immediate crisis. Acute detoxification services are also available to participants affected by drug and alcohol abuse.
In operation since 1974, the established Crossroads unit provides adults with the personalized support they need to face their unique set of challenges. Participants of this long-term program have opportunity for various therapeutic and recreational activities as well as psychiatric counseling designed to address their mental health problems. According to its webpage, Crossroads is “Certified in National Music & Memory Program.”
Norwood Health Center also has a specialized unit for traumatic brain injury. At Pathways, adults aged 18 to 64 no longer in the acute stage of their recovery process receive speech, occupational, and physical therapy, in addition to neuropsychology and primary care services where needed.
Finally, Norwood’s Bridgeway unit is a 24-hour, eight-bed community-based residential facility (CBRF) that provides short-term crisis stabilization for adults. Medication management, psychoeducational groups, and assistance with daily living routines make up the daily curriculum at Bridgeway.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
Norwood Health Center’s multidisciplinary treatment team includes a dedicated 24-hour nursing staff, psychiatrists and psychologists, social workers, and therapists.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
As noted above, some Norwood units are staffed by a 24-hour nursing team. Participants of Pathways have access to a fully equipped gym, an occupational therapy kitchen, a sensory integration room, and church services.
The single Best-rehabs.com survey respondent as of this writing gave three- and four-star ratings, respectively, for the center’s accommodations and meal quality.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Best-rehabs.com has yet to receive any reviews from this facility’s alumni.
On Google reviews, however, Norwood Health Center has only one-star ratings from a pair of individuals, one of whom complained that the “majority of the people that work here don’t listen to reason I’ve been forced against my will to pretty much everything. Help!”
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
The single Best-rehabs.com survey respondent to date, an anonymous loved one, had a positive experience with Norwood. They described the staff as “helpful” and deemed the program successful in helping clients open their “eyes to the world [they’re missing] out on.” The anonymous reviewer also gave four or five stars for nearly all the dozen-plus metrics evaluated, such as the staff’s level of training and experience, the counseling options, the opportunities for exercise and leisure, and the effectiveness of treatment itself.
FINANCING
There is currently no information provided by the center’s website or otherwise regarding its treatment costs. Applicants of the Crossroads program may be required to “Meet Medicaid certification criteria.”
The anonymous Best-rehabs.com survey respondent found the program affordable and cost-worthy.