Aurora Las Encinas Hospital – Pasadena

This is my first and only rehab experience. I went in scared and not knowing what would happen. It turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life. The facility is beautiful. I have made so many life long… friends here. The staff are amazing, from the doctors to the maintenance team. Dr. C, Cole, Dr. Al, Ani, Angie, JulieAnn, Alexis, Crystal, Nathaniel, Bishop, Eric, Alex; thank you all so much. You all have made a huge, amazing impact on my life. I loved this facility so much, that my goal is to work here in the next few years. Thank you, everyone. Stay positive, Stay sober!!!!

Great experience. So thankful for all the staff and nurses - the nurses that stood out were Nancy, Ani and Crystal. Cole and Dr. C were amazing. Best group therapy I’ve ever been apart of. They asked the right questions… and led the group in a discussion that was meaningful and effective. Living areas were always clean and the kitchen crew were great with accommodations. Overall 5 stars thank you.

Very caring and attentive staff, good food, and great groups. And a pool.

If you want to be properly taken care of, nurtured, and respected, just know this is not the place. The staff changes every single day, only the ones who care know you and your circumstances. The rest don’t even… remember your name. There is no way to tell what time it is unless you go to the nurse’s station, so you constantly feel disoriented. The schedule is in military time and it is not accurate. They open the door to your room unannounced every 15 minutes and write down what you are doing. They do not knock, man or woman, so be careful about getting dressed or undressed in your bedroom. It makes it extremely hard to get proper rest at night because they also do it all through the night. There are cameras everywhere. They only provide a tiny bendable pencil to write with which almost no one can grip properly. Only smokers are allowed outside in 2 East. You are only permitted outside time on those gorgeous grounds if you’ve been in there for 30 days. Do not let looks deceive you, the grounds do not match the inside of 2 East. They are also constantly painting in random areas. There are no windows to crack so don’t be surprised if you start coughing after a few days. These people are being forced on medication against their will, without being informed of the medications or of their side effects in advance. A lot of these medications make your hair fall out in clumps. Most of these women are just here because they were suffering to the point of almost no return. Many of these women sleep all through the day and miss their snack/lunch. Bathrooms are also a huge issue. Only a handful of women have bathrooms in their rooms. The rest have to share one public bathroom where they all have to take turns showering, and it’s always locked. A staff member has to open it for you. I was blessed enough to have my own bathroom and no roommate. But I saw plenty of other women sharing rooms, and plenty of women with no bathroom in their rooms. Another thing, they never give you your medication at the same time. One day it may be in the morning, the next in the evening, some days not at all. They are not concerned with consistency. In addition, they will try to tell you that you cannot change doctors, then allow that same doctor you said you’re done with to waltz into your room unannounced. Do not believe them. They are bound by law to obey that demand. Make sure if you change doctors you have them change it on your wrist band, on the documents, and on the computer. Or that same doctor will still have the power change your medications. Stay informed. You may have to be extremely stern and repeat yourself more than 3 times for them to listen. Request to see the handbook that explains all the rights of mental health patients if you feel that your rights are being violated. Also be aware that the phone will randomly not work, and be aware that your phone call may be cut off in the middle of your conversation. The staff rarely has a logical explanation for confused patients. Furthermore, there are few staff members that are wonderful and really try to do what they can. Jill and Tiffany are amazing. Jill is like a mother, and she is the one to trust with your laundry. Tiffany will allow music and let’s all the women take turns choosing a song to sing and dance along to. Music is the healing these women crave. The cleaning staff is so wonderful, please be kind to them and thank them. Also please thank the laborer, Jose. The security team is also amazing. :)The therapists and activity leaders are absolutely wonderful, but after 2 PM there is no kind of stimulating activities. And also be aware that dinner starts at 4pm which may take some time to adjust to. After 4pm most of the women just pace the halls back and forth. Also be informed that this is an old Tuberculosis hospital building. This is just a PSA if you or your loved ones are here in 2 East.

Inhumane. We need to do better for people who really need the help and not prioritize their insurance $. I’m confident love will win in the end though.

The description of this "hospital" is not accurate to what they're capable of doing on site. For reference after a cancer battle, I needed assisted detox for benzodiazepines. On the phone, I was told they specialize in… this detox and will make it as comfortable as possible.Shockingly during my intake the first question out of the nurses mouth was "what do you mean medical detox?" I was a bit confused and reminded her that I was checking in for detoxing off of a controlled substance. She then said "we do our best with what we can here, then we call 911." At this point I have to end the intake session as I was flabbergasted at the lack of knowledge, the lack of professionalism and the lack of education in regards to what this facility is not only advertising, but is listing as one of their specialties. I will say it's probably more of a psych ward and it's very pretty outside so if you need to commit someone like a family member or have to get a 5150 it might be fine but for self check in or any type of healing it is not the right fit. I can’t stress enough how uneducated the staff seemed on the topics of recovery, detox, and just general medical knowledge.

Don’t waste your money 😓

This place reflects what is wrong with our society. I got 3 shots for no reason. 1st one bc I wouldn't let go of my walker. 2nd one bc I needed toilet paper. 3rd one bc I needed water. I know. Why would they give me… shots in an absolutely inhuman way for those reasons? I think it's bc most staff are dumb or unkind or both. Very few are both smart and kind. On the other hand, most of the fellow patients I met are both smart and kind. They are genuinely some of the most interesting people I have ever met. They, including me, are just going through a difficult time. Or, you could say insurance incentives don't encourage true healing but rather quick but woefully lacking fixes. This reflects the general stigma toward mental health issues in our society and our lack of understanding of them. I am sad and traumatized but will never give up.

I have learned so much about myself inpatient care and IOP care there but they have changed drastically and not for the better for patient care is lacking now. I was inpatient and my roommate in the hospital blew up the… whole room with the smell of weed and I was up all night long. I will never go back there for any reason. They lost their five star rating and they don’t even care about offering quality care anymore. It’s to bad and sad that Las Encinas lost their way in treating mental health patients in Pasadena California.

Los Encinos Hospital is awful. Showers were burning hot and unsafe. Most of the staff were rude and disrespectful. The doctor was dismissive and unprofessional. The facility is worse than a county jail. If you have any… choice, go somewhere else. After 4 years I still have nightmares about that discussing place.

This was years ago. I was nearly SA'd by another male patient here, when I was barely 18 on the adult unit and he was a man in his 50's. The staff did little to nothing about it. I remember having to barricade myself… into my room and they misdiagnosed me with things I didn't have and gave me meds that caused my nightmares to worsen. These people don't care about the safety and mental health of their patients.

I genuinely had a good experience here and made friends during my stay. The only complaint I had was this woman made my stay very uncomfortable because she was talking bad about me to others. Nonetheless, the nurses… were kind and understanding of my situation. This is the best psych hospital experience I’ve had.

Horror show. Everyone who works here should be ashamed.

Idk where these bad reviews are coming from , Briar house at Las Encinas is great and they treat with love and respect and help you every step of the way

This place traumatized me. I was initially at an ER for medication management, where I voluntarily chose to be moved to a mental hospital. I was told the facility would be roughly 1–2 hours away it ended up being 4… hours. As soon as I had access to a phone, I called my spouse. We talked about how far I had been sent and how difficult it would be for him to visit. He did some research and found several facilities much closer to home that had open beds before I was placed. I was never given a choice. Once admitted, basic respect and dignity were lacking. We had to ask for every essential item tampons, pads, towels, toothpaste and staff often acted like we were a nuisance just for asking. Their attitudes were rude, short, and dismissive, even when it came to medical questions or basic support. The psychiatrist (Alikhan, Mir) assigned to me spent just 2–5 minutes with me, usually standing in my room, often walking away mid-conversation. Nurses admitted he was only on-site for about an hour each day despite the facility having over a dozen sections. I wasn’t included in decisions about my care or medications and was expected to just accept whatever was decided without question. The most distressing part: I agreed multiple times to take a calming pill, but staff still forced an injection on me. I was surrounded by several staff members, held down, had my pants pulled down, and was injected against my will while I cried and begged them not to. I’ve experienced trauma in my life, and what they did was deeply violating and dehumanizing. No compassion. No consent. Just force. Later that day, I was given so many sedatives (pill, dissolvable, and injection) in such a short period that I collapsed sideways onto my hip and needed an X-ray. I was never warned that this could happen, and I’m still in pain. I came here for support and stability. I left more shaken, hurt, and mentally exhausted than when I arrived. If you’re looking for compassionate or trauma-informed care, this is not the place to find it.

This hospital is good hospital for mental people I have been there they treated me good and hat guy is good guy .

Worst experience my son got treated badly and I am reporting these guys internal affairs IA

Doses with meds.. well psychological cure was far!

For anyone dealing with emotional, or substance abuse Problems, Pick Up The Phone... It May Save Your Life; Lets think about this .. Pick Up The Phone ........ it Saved Mine. Have a good Day, " Smile for Me, " - 2Pac… Shakur - Marino & Associates DragonFly PSD Inc. Saving Lives; Nothing More J. Marino SLODA7044SNU

In 4/16/24 to 5/7/24 my son was admitted to Las Encinas Hospital. The whole staff were always kind and patient. I noticed the staff set boundaries which I am still learning to do when dealing with someone with mental… illness. The patients are in different buildings which I came to appreciate. He was safe and kept cleaned. My son enjoyed the food. He also enjoyed the activities and breaks that was provided. Dr William Gillespie was helpful in providing my son with a diagnosis and treatment. My son has continue with his treatment after leaving the hospital. As a mom I want to thank you for helping in my son on his journey with mental illness.

Friend is in right now and theres been days of not hot water. No help for her at all. Boo!

This is the most racist hospital that I have ever experienced. Imagine self admitting for feeling depressed, and leave feeling worse because of discrimination. I have been a patient at this facility twice, approximately… two years in between. Both experiences were traumatic, sad, and filled with racism. This is unacceptable from a medical professional institution. I recommend that if you’re not Anglo-Saxon you find another hospital.

I know someone in there now that is getting the help they need. Everyone has to do their part to make it work. Somedays they hate it and somedays they like it. But in (2) weeks even with the bad days they are doing so… much better. Everyone has been very kind. So, not sure about all the low reviews but the experience for this person is completely different than I am reading. They started on a hold (72) hours that turned into (14) days and then transferred to Briar (drug rehab) . They are much happier at Briars as there is more freedom and now the work starts. Benzo addiction which is extremely difficult but making it through with the support from the staff. Food is good and getting on a schedule has been so important as they had no routine before. Sure not everything is perfect but under the circumstances it has been a life saving experience. And I truly mean life saving. Another day and they may not have made it. The paranoia and delusions caused from withdrawing are horrendous & heartbreaking to watch. They have a long road ahead but with the help and support at Las Encinas we all have been giving hope. Thank You so much