Department of State Hospitals – Atascadero

HISTORY

The Department of State Hospitals-Atascadero is a secure forensic hospital located on the Central Coast of California, in San Luis Obispo County.  It opened in 1954 and is a psychiatric hospital constructed within a secure perimeter. The majority of the all-male patient population is remanded for treatment by county superior courts or by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). The hospital does not accept voluntary admissions.

PATIENT POPULATION

California Department of State Hospitals - Forensic Commitments and Treatment

HOSPITAL STAFF

Approximately 2,140 employees work at DSH-Atascadero providing round-the-clock care, including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, rehabilitation therapists, psychiatric technicians, registered nurses, and other clinical and administrative staff. There are approximately 173 different job classifications at the facility, including hospital police, kitchen staff, custodial staff, warehouse workers, groundskeepers, information technology staff, plant operations staff, spiritual leaders, and other clinical and administrative staff.

TREATMENT AND PROGRAMS

The Trial Competency Program is for patients admitted to the hospital under Penal Code (PC) 1370 as Incompetent to Stand Trial. These patients receive a specialized program of treatment which is specifically to help the patient gain the knowledge and skills necessary to return to court. The goal is for the patient to understand court proceedings and effectively participate in their defense.

The Offenders with Mental Health Disorders (OMD) Program is for patients paroled to the hospital by authority of the Board of Paroles under provisions of PC 2962. Patients may be released to parole, placed in Conditional Release Program, or become civilly committed.

Finally, the hospital provides mental health services to inmates from California prisons under provisions of PC 2684. The focus of treatment is to stabilize symptoms so that the inmate/patient can function successfully in the Enhanced Outpatient Program at CDCR and/or in the community.

ACCREDITATION

This facility is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The Joint Commission conducts unannounced surveys of this hospital at least every three years. The purpose of the survey is to evaluate the hospital's compliance with nationally established Joint Commission standards. The survey results are used to determine whether accreditation should be awarded and under what conditions that happens. Joint Commission standards deal with organization quality, safety of care issues and the safety of the environment in which care is provided.

COMMUNITY

Approximately 43 percent of our employees reside in the city of Atascadero. The remainder primarily resides within a 70 mile radius.

TRAINING AND INTERNSHIPS

DSH-Atascadero has a partnership with Cuesta College in order to provide advanced professional training for psychiatric technicians. The program is accredited through the Board of Vocational Nurses and Psychiatric Technicians and is one of the top training programs in California.

Finally, DSH-Atascadero offers internships for qualified candidates from universities across the state who are pursuing higher education in the fields of social work, recreation therapy, music therapy, nutrition and dietetics, and pre-doctoral psychology.