UNC Youth Behavioral Health Hospital

Learn More About YBH 

UNC Youth Behavioral Health Hospital (YBH) is a 54-bed, 24-hour, locked psychiatric facility located in Butner, North Carolina. YBH philosophy is grounded in a milieu-based, trauma-informed and therapeutic setting. This facility aims to serve patients with a complex history, including aggression and psychosis. Safety is a key component of the care provided as well as introduction of positive coping skills, healthy living and positive leisure activities. Therapy services will work among a large interdisciplinary team including Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Social Workers, and Nursing Services. There are four units dedicated to serving children and adolescent with mental health diagnoses, dual diagnoses, substance misuse and complex behaviors, including those with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Our Mission: UNC YBH is dedicated to providing a safe, inclusive space for diverse youth in psychiatric crisis. Our mission centers on:

• Delivering innovative and evidence-based behavioral care,
• Empowering youth with the skills and strategies for safe community reintegration,
• Supporting sustained recovery and resilience from trauma and mental health challenges, through a unified approach by our integrated, multi-disciplinary team

Services Provided:

• Psychiatric care for patients with complex mental health diagnoses
• Multidisciplinary approach involving Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Social Workers, and Nursing Services
• Four specialized units for children and adolescents with mental health diagnoses, dual diagnoses, substance misuse, complex behaviors, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Cross-training for staff across all units to function as a cohesive team

1 YBH:

1 YBH is a 14-bed inpatient facility dedicated to providing comprehensive psychiatric care for adolescents aged 12 to 15 who require acute psychiatric stabilization. Our unit is designed to address the urgent needs of these young individuals, focusing on stabilizing their current crises and setting a foundation for long-term mental health.
Our primary objectives include:

• Crisis Stabilization: We work diligently to manage and mitigate the immediate psychiatric issues that brought the patient to our unit. Through thorough evaluation, assessment, and treatment, we aim to stabilize the adolescent’s condition promptly.
• Community and Natural Supports: Recognizing the importance of a support network, we actively engage the patient’s family, friends, and community resources. This collaboration is crucial in creating a supportive environment conducive to recovery and ongoing mental health stability.
• Comprehensive Care Planning: Each patient receives a personalized care plan tailored to their specific needs. This plan includes detailed strategies for further care and treatment beyond their stay with us, ensuring a continuum of care that supports their long-term well-being.

Our methods of psychiatric stabilization are multifaceted and include:

• Evaluation and Assessment: We conduct in-depth evaluations and assessments to understand the patient’s mental health status and needs comprehensively.
• Observation and Monitoring: Continuous observation and monitoring are essential to track the patient’s progress and make necessary adjustments to their treatment plan.Medical Treatment: We address any underlying medical conditions that may be contributing to the psychiatric crisis, ensuring a holistic approach to care.Psychotropic Medication Management: When appropriate, we administer and manage psychotropic medications to help stabilize the patient’s condition.
  Family Engagement: We involve the patient’s family in the treatment process, providing education and support to help them understand and manage the patient’s condition effectively.
  Therapy Management: Various therapeutic interventions, including individual, group, and family therapy, are utilized to support the patient’s recovery and skill development.

In addition to crisis management, we focus on equipping our patients with essential coping skills to manage stress and emotions effectively. By teaching these skills, we aim

to empower adolescents to handle future challenges and avoid potential crises. Our goal is to not only stabilize the adolescent’s immediate condition but also to provide a strong foundation for their ongoing mental health and well-being. To further ensure the patient’s long-term stability, we meticulously plan their discharge and aftercare. This involves:

• Arranging Discharge Appointments: Coordinating appointments with community providers to ensure a seamless transition from inpatient care to outpatient support.
• Direct Aftercare Referrals: Making specific referrals to the necessary care providers who will continue to support the patient’s mental health journey post-discharge.

2 YBH:

2 YBH is a 16-bed inpatient facility dedicated to providing comprehensive psychiatric care for teens aged 14 to 17 who require acute psychiatric stabilization. Our unit is designed to address the urgent needs of these young individuals, focusing on stabilizing their current crises and establishing a foundation for long-term mental health.
We strive to stabilize crises, engage natural and community supports, and develop comprehensive care plans tailored to each teen. By conducting thorough evaluations, ongoing monitoring, and individualized treatment, we manage and alleviate immediate psychiatric issues. Our approach includes addressing underlying medical conditions, administering psychotropic medications, and involving family in the treatment process to ensure a holistic approach to care.
Recognizing the importance of a strong support network, we actively involve the patient’s family, friends, and community resources to create a supportive environment conducive to recovery. Each patient receives a personalized care plan that includes strategies for further care beyond their stay with us. We offer various therapeutic interventions, including individual, group, and family therapy, to support the patient’s recovery and skill development.
In addition to crisis management, we focus on teaching essential coping skills to help teens manage stress and emotions effectively. By empowering them with these skills, we aim to help them navigate future challenges and prevent potential crises. We also emphasize the importance of reducing rapid readmissions by coordinating discharge and aftercare plans.
To ensure long-term stability, we meticulously plan each patient’s discharge and aftercare. This involves arranging appointments with community providers and making specific referrals to necessary care providers who will continue to support the patient’s mental health journey post-discharge. Our goal is to not only stabilize the immediate condition of each teen but also to provide a strong foundation for their ongoing mental health and well-being.
Through our dedicated and comprehensive approach, we aim to support teens in overcoming their current challenges and equipping them with the tools and resources needed for a healthier future.

3 YBH:

3 YBH is a 14-bed inpatient unit that evaluates, treats, and monitors older adolescents (18-24) who need acute psychiatric stabilization. Our goal is to stabilize the current crisis, engage natural and community supports, and assist individuals in planning for further care as clinically indicated. We aim to provide competent psychiatric stabilization through various methods, including evaluation, assessment, observation, monitoring, and treatment of medical conditions; psychotropic medication treatment; family engagement; and therapy management. Additionally, we teach patients essential coping skills to help them manage stress and emotions, avoiding future crises. We also work to reduce rapid readmissions by arranging discharge and aftercare appointments through community providers and making direct referrals to the necessary care providers.

4 YBH: 

4YBH is an acute inpatient psychiatric unit with a 10-person capacity dedicated to serving pediatric patients (age 10-17) with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, or a related neurodevelopmental disability (IDD) in need of crisis stabilization. There are no other specialized inpatient psychiatric units for pediatric patients with IDD in North Carolina (or any adjacent state).

Inpatient treatment is most appropriate when the available care in the community has been exhausted or unsuccessful and patients are in severe and acute emotional or behavioral crisis. The following are criteria that may lead to treatment at our hospital:

• Imminent and significant risk of harm, including from aggression, suicidal thoughts or actions, self-injurious behavior, elopement, mania, or psychosis.
• The symptoms and unsafe behaviors require 24-hour monitoring and assessment for safety and stabilization.

We are dedicated to improving the health, quality of life, and outcomes for the patients in our care within a safe and therapeutic environment. Comprehensive care involves our highly skilled professional staff from Nursing, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychology, Pediatrics, Social Work, Pastoral Care, Dietitian, Pharmacy, Child Life, and Therapy Services including Occupational, Recreational, Music, Yoga, and Activities Therapy.

Utilizing a multidisciplinary team effort, it is our goal to better understand and support pediatric patients in crisis and establish tools, treatments, and safe and effective pharmacological interventions to assist in stabilization of emotional distress and unsafe behavior. By collaborating with caregivers to establish realistic routines and structure, identify sensory needs, and promote autonomy, our hope is to increase the likelihood of successful reintegration into the home and community.

YBH4 Referral