Baptist Hospital – Pensacola

I went here people here are nice they are supportive

I came here voluntarily, please do not go here if you have PTSD or any type of medical trauma. The staff become defensive and unprofessional and will become retaliatory when colleagues are reported for misconduct. They… will intimidate/ antagonize you. With hold prescription medications. If they know your triggers they will use them instead of helping you cope. There was only one tech that helped me with box breathing during a panic attack after a seriously uncomfortable encounter with a male nurse. Requested to leave after my husband reported this incident and after stating I wanted to leave, they made it difficult too. Even leaving me no choice but to file court documents. They falsely documented that I did not attend group even though I have the work sheets for proof. There is so much more that I cannot share but I want to warn people and hopefully save someone else from what I went through. This places was extremely unhealthy for me. I strongly believe this facility needs better training for nurses, techs, and other staff in trauma-informed care, PTSD, panic attacks, medical trauma, and de-escalation. Patients experiencing trauma responses may freeze, panic, dissociate, become overwhelmed, have difficulty processing information, or become fearful of touch or loss of control. These reactions should not automatically be treated as defiance or difficult behavior. Staff should be trained to communicate calmly, explain procedures before touching a patient, ask permission when appropriate, provide reasonable choices, respect personal space, recognize trauma responses, and use the least restrictive methods of de-escalation. For patients with PTSD or previous medical trauma, the way staff communicate and interact can either create a sense of safety or cause further psychological harm. Trauma-informed care should be a meaningful part of staff education—not simply a checkbox during annual training. I hope this facility takes these concerns seriously and strengthens its training so future patients feel safe, respected, informed, and heard while receiving care.

Nobody should be supporting this UnGodly establishment. I am concerned for everyone involved. Don’t even waste your time going here. I am not even in Florida but I cannot contain my frustration for my friend who came to… this false godly establishment. Imagine having thoughts of hurting yourself. When getting the courage to speak out and get help, finally finding the last hope he needed. He was met by evil who is pretending to use God's name for good. The patient I’m talking about didn’t even receive the legally obligated mental evaluation he needed. He walked in with a history of mental health issues. Walked out hopeless and scared for his safety with three bus tickets provided by the “nice” lady who cussed him out. Don’t even get me started on how unprofessional they are. I am surprised they aren’t shut down, which needs to happen. I’ve never heard of an establishment where McDonalds could manage this establishment better than their current staff.

Truly disappointing that people struggling through a mental health crisis can’t receive the help they need. It feels like more damage is caused when nobody is willing to listen and assess the situation.

I love my dr. And staff! They are my family and my best friends and Christians. I love them 💗 thankyou all the lovely ladies and my Dr. Henson. Thankyou for your care and ❤️. I always wish I could be there with them.… Everyday! ❤️ taffi

Zero out of 5 stars A Physician’s Concern: Inconsistent Standards and Misleading Admissions Practices I hold behavioral health facilities to a rigorous standard of both clinical integrity and transparent communication… with families. My experience — and my observations of how this unit operates — has left me with serious professional concerns I feel obligated to share. First, the inconsistency of rules and protocols depending on which staff member was stationed at the front desk is deeply troubling. In a behavioral health setting, consistency is not simply a courtesy — it is a clinical necessity. Patients and families in crisis depend on predictable, structured environments. When policy enforcement changes based on who happens to be sitting at the front desk that day, it signals a systemic failure in staff training, supervision, and administrative oversight. Second, and more gravely, families were explicitly told that their child would receive one-on-one time with a board-certified psychiatrist within 24 hours of arrival.That representation is not a minor detail — it is a material promise that directly influences a family’s decision to entrust their child to your care. What was delivered instead was a nurse practitioner who briefly reviewed surface-level notes and failed entirely to identify the core issue driving the child’s crisis. When questioned , the NP that in actuality performed the intake stated reluctantly that a psychiatrist “could” be requested but it’s not a requirement”. The NP went on state that group therapy is the only therapy given. There is no real treatment plan to speak of. The NP wanted to check a box, meds/no meds and check out as quickly as possible. That is not equivalent care, and representing it as such borders on deceptive admissions practices at best, however I see it as fraudulent. Families seeking psychiatric help for their children are among the most vulnerable populations you will ever serve. They deserve honesty, consistency, and clinicians who are genuinely engaged — not a hurried glance at a chart by someone who was never the provider they were promised. I would strongly encourage hospital administration and the relevant credentialing bodies to review both the admissions communication protocols and the clinical coverage model in this unit immediately.

Okay so I just got out yesterday. And I will say it was wonderful. They are very helpful and the techs are really nice (shout out to Tech Luke, Kendall, and Zavion) they were really nice and even helped make paper stars… and airplanes with us. Also Thank you Nurse Abby and chow (sorry if spelt wrong)

I loved the stay, my favorite part was going to my room and sleeping in my bed with my 🐻 it's actually a really really nice hostipal the people who are review it as a low rating don't know what a actual neglecting… hospital looks like at my other hospital they usually send me too here in Georgia doesn't have any groups, or anything fights constantly outbreak, and it actually feels like prison cause your stuck in a room all day with nothing to do but stand in a corner and trying to act tuff to defend yourself cause some the teens that go where I'm used to going are serving juvenile time for attempted or committed murder. I literally watched staff laugh at a kid and belittle them. Baptist hospital is really not that bad. 1. You get to actually talk to a doctor 2. There's lots of groups which is good 3. It's a really big unit to walk around 4. The staff are unbelievably nice The only thing that really disappointed me was the therapist. He told me it's my fault and I know what I do and can control my emotions. He said my mom is a good person and I'm ngl I deserve it I didn't tell them anything my mom does to me cause I don't want anyone going to jail on my behalf. But now you guys can't do anything I guess I'll say it 😭 my mom is a diagnosed narcissist and she manipulated everyone of those people there she is a really awful person and before I left I guess I saw who side they were really on but it's okay I guess my mom will never change shell put you down when she's upset and she'll give you affection when she's happy. And noone will ever know who she really is cause she will befriend all your friends to make you look like the bottom of the barrel. My mom has convinced haft my town I'm a abusive psychopath and I have no choice but to act as they believe I am cause anything I say is a lie or manipulating tactic I have no voice, or opinion and I never will as long as I'm alive

very rude over the phone, lots of sighing and sarcastic tones

This place is a complete joke if I could leave a 0 star review I would. I was admitted for 4 days and they did nothing to help just followed me around with an iPad to ping my ankle tracker. If anybody is needing help… this is not the place it might as well just be a prison with cushions.

This place is shocking to me. Diminished my son's need for full mental health evaluation, inaccurate charting- claimed child needed discharge (diagnosed with flu while there) because he was "so sick" yet had not checked… fever for 10+ hours - it was 104! Of course, now that is omitted from the chart record. Charted he actively participated in therapies with enthusiasm on days when he was actually quarantined and bedridden. Promised options for outpatient network to get us out the door - resources are not an option. Health care facilities that have this much inaccuracy and omission of details mislead families and are not helping our kids who are in mental health crisis. Dreadful place. Update…. Tried to meet with administration and facility leaders to discuss our experience in hopes that awareness is promoted. Baptist was not willing to meet.

I’ve been here three times, and this place has definitely gotten better with each stay. The most recent time I was here, they gave me a stuffed bear when I couldn’t have my own stuffed animal yet. When I couldn’t sleep,… the night nurse even warmed up my blanket — that was really sweet of her. They don’t give you medication on the first day, which I don’t like, and you have to come in without wearing anything under the gown, including underwear. The food wasn’t the best, but the grilled cheese was really good. I was in the teens area, and I have to say, Luke was the best tech there. He gave the best hugs, was really nice, and helped me a lot during my stay. I also liked both of the Emmas — they were great techs too and really kind. The groups were good, and my favorite ones were the art groups. This place doesn’t deserve only 2 out of 5 stars — it actually helped me, and it didn’t traumatize me. My mom also likes that she can call and visit me every day. Overall, this is a good place if you need to to get stable.

I HATE THIS PLACE I HATE IT this place was the first time I went to a mental faciality NOVEMBER 6TH 2024 I was 19 at the time the reason is cause the military didnt think I was safe to be on my own so they drove me to… Baptist hospital first then after 9 HOURS crying in that small room they had me in they said I had to go to a patient facility aka this one when I got in all I did was pretend to be ok to get the heck out which I managed to in a day hated the food here couldn't eat for 2 days the meds they gave to others at breakfest scared me nothing helped and they sent me back more broken then ever im only ok now cause of my 2 friends God bless my friends

Staff was very rude and strict for NO reason but the only reason i GOT OUT was because the TECH'S doing a better job than the GROUP THERAPY aka shout out to Luke L. And Emma R. They NEED a raise thats the only reason i… stopped horrible and bad coping mechanisms aka cutting/biting/scratching/etc. PLEASE give Luke a raise he is FANTASTIC at his job- to the kid unit

My almost 14 year old son was there just shy of a week ago. My son suffers with anxiety and depression, a lot coming from how he is being treated at his father’s house. My son was diagnosed as high functioning autistic… at age 3. My son who was on the kid side due to him not being of the age of 14, which I was happy with him on the kids side, but the doctor tried to blame his autistic diagnosis as reason he was having a meltdown which he was not instead of listening to the real reason and what was going on with my son. The day they discharge my son he was going back to his dad’s. They had to medicate him, and he kept banging his head against the wall and screaming, and I felt no one listened to him. How can you medicate someone and then discharge them an hour later. My son has been suicidal in the past and although he is not suicidal, but because of how he’s feeling, and no one is listening to him, he is vulnerable to having harm caused to him. I am really disappointed in this hospital. I really believe someone would listen to my son Instead of discharging him and blaming it on his autism diagnosis. My son clearly stated he did not want to be there, but he did not want to go to his dad‘s either my son was in a really hard place and for them not to listen to my son and try to find out the real reason to what was going on with him makes it hard for a kid to trust anyone, especially adults who are supposed to be there for them, I gave this two stars because there were a few staff that were nice when I was visiting my son and did seem to care about my son. There was one lady my last visit with my son. She kinda had a hard demeanor, and I know there have to be a balance, but I felt some compassion, especially to a child that was in the state that he was of not being able to be with his mother and had to go to a place that he’s so bad did not want to go with his father. I traveled every day for almost 5 days from Fort Walton Beach to Pensacola to see my son, not being listened to, heard or cared about as he should’ve been. I wanted to get the care he needed and now I’m trying to have to seek justice for him by other means this is not the place I would ever again with my son to go. No child should ever deal with abuse, especially by the hands of a parent.

Baptist Behavioral Health facility has a burnt out team. I wish the department heads at Baptist Behavioral would recognize their team needs help or reorganization.. This is not to throw this center under the bus because… I know ya'll work with a lot of mental health folks that are their to get off the streets and they really do not want help. But there are mental health folks that want your help. Please figure out the difference and act accordingly.

Good and bad here. (Keep in mind I stayed on the adult side.) The staff members are not on the same page. For example, a staff member said that I was allowed to go to the quiet room during group therapy, and another… said that I wasn’t allowed. I attended group therapy, but was pulled out for an interview with one of the staff members, and I was overwhelmed after said interview. I was too overwhelmed to go back to group, and I wanted to go to the quiet room to calm down. I didn’t end up going to the quiet room because of the conflicting staff members. I stayed in the day room to calm down. I was involuntarily discharged. I told both my social worker and the psychiatrist that I wasn’t ready to discharge the day that I was scheduled to, and the hospital discharged me anyway. I also didn’t get to see my social worker at all unless it was an interview. The bedsheets were slightly stained. There was no proper mirror in either the day room bathroom nor my bedroom bathroom. [EDIT: The lack of a proper mirror is probably a safety precaution, now that I reflect on it.] One of the interviewers indirectly called my autism a “mental health issue”. The staff/doctors there have outdated information about seizures; for example, multiple of them called my non-epileptic seizures “psuedoseizures”. I told many staff members that I’ve never been to a psych hospital before, and they didn’t consider that at all. [EDIT: My epilepsy medication was late almost every dose (if not every single dose), although I kept asking the nurses when they would bring my meds to me and allow me to take them.] The stay helped overall; it didn’t help as much as I expected it (and wanted it) to. The reason I give this place two stars instead of one is because William and Ashton are amazing.

I went here 3x as a child and it was a terrible experience. I was dealing with a mother who had munchausen by proxy which I have come to current terms with as an adult. They treated me for bipolar disorder which was a… misdiagnosis and now I have trauma from not just this experience but every experience in my childhood with doctors. And the hardest part is that because of the diagnosis I cannot advocate for myself effectively because people write me off as "crazy" when I tell them the story. I finally have evidence now and doctors who heard my story and listened to me. As a child I was helpless even though I fought so hard to get away from my mother. You people wouldn't listen to me. How could you?

If you are hoping to get your teen help, do not look here for it! My daughter was there for a total of 9 days. She was discharged (after stating multiple times that she was not ready and after me telling the doctor she… was not ready) and had to be taken back SAME day because Dr. Akinkugbe doesn’t do his job correctly. After she was readmitted he told me she was fine and was treating the hospital as a vacation from home. He told me she had a care plan in place and that we should work with that and he would not recommend admitting her again. The care plan? A sheet of paper that has her answer to questions of what to do when she’s having a hard time. Her answer to the questions? She responded “I don’t know.” That’s a freaking care plan?! While she was there she self harmed multiple times. Once she was IN THE DAY ROOM, where MULTPILE staff members are, and nobody noticed! Or, maybe they did, they just didn’t care. Another time, she was in the bathroom digging into her legs with a stick she got from outside that, again, NOBODY noticed. They do “skin checks” every night before bed…but you can guess how seriously they take those…because YET AGAIN, nobody noticed. My daughter doesn’t want to be alive and is not doing well and this hospital has been useless. I am thoroughly disgusted with their lack of care.

I had a wonderful stay the last 4 days. Even though I was under a baker act, I embraced the process. I had the most amazing, I call them angels, that helped me. First off I can't say enough good things about Ms Candy.sp… She was my tech over the weekend. This woman is doing the lords work. She runs a tight ship but knows how to treat each patient. She is humble and kind. Treats us like people that just might be going through it. She takes no bullship tho. I noticed a patient act so different on her day off. She is an asset to Baptist, give that woman a raise she totally deserves it. My nurses Amanda and Curtis OMG couldn't have asked for a better team of people treating me. Amanda has so much compassion, Curtis is so on point and makes sure his people are number 1 to him. Ms Nida and Ms Michelle I just adore. They are so OG and make us feel like we can ask them for anything big or small and be heard. Hopefully I wont see these wonderful humans again. But if i do, I know im going to be well taken care of.

My daughter was inpatient here during a mental health crisis. She has struggled since about the age of 12 and has been hospitalized numerous times in various facilities (various states)- she is now an adult. Her… diagnosis are complex and treatment resistant (for the most part). Her stay here was beneficial with therapist, physicians, and most all providers showing care and empathy. Jenna (the charge nurse I believe), my daughter spoke very fondly of. She showed great care towards all the patients. Addy (sp), a mental health tech was also awesome. My daughter also mentioned Ryan was very kind - and listened. These traits are so important in all aspects of healthcare. There was one issue with a tech working mornings on March 11th in the adult 2 area. This tech had a very rude and almost had a combative attitude. It has no place in this setting. She was a heavier set african american woman with short hair (she did not catch her name)- she was not kind, she was loud, and barked orders as if it were a prison (daughters perception, she has never been arrested). At one point, my daughter said the tech had accosted a patient about using the phone during group and a therapist (I believe she said) had to intervene and tell the tech she allowed it and to back off (basically - stop that behavior). This was the only person my daughter said had a bad attitude. I would hope it was a bad day, because the description of her behavior went beyond what I call clinical efficiency where providers work fast, efficiently - and without thought of emotions. BLUF - this wasn't someone who was not just nice, she came across as unkind - which is different. I was able to observe a smaller african american female tech (I did not catch her name) interacting with patients and who was very sweet on my visit. She directed me to the enclosed nurses station for help with a question. My interactions were brief, but the facility was clean - orderly, very good as far as inpatient mental health facilities go. All in all, everyone (except the one tech) was kind and helpful - and this is how helping those with mental health issues should be. The psychiatrist my daughter saw even spoke to my daughter about why she should stop smoking/vaping - which I appreciated. They provided her with nicotine gum prescription and resources to try to quit. While she has not quit, she did pick up the nicotine gum and said she will try to pull back and reduce her smoking a little at a time. This was a win - small changes. Overall, my hope is that the one woman (angry tech) was having a bad day, but even still, kindness and empathy for others is paramount in healthcare. People are never in a hospital because they are functioning efficiently or optimally - be it physical or mental. Thank you to all the staff! My family is very grateful and IF something else happens, we know where to turn.

My stay here was really nice! Better than any other psych hospital. They let me choose my lunch and dinner, provided group therapies through the day, and really listened to all my problems and concerns. I want to give… special kudos to Ryan, Jenna, Addy, and Kaci for making my stay amazing. There was also a weekend therapist who was incredibly nice as well, although I can’t remember his name. I was fortunate to get my own room. Facility was clean as well. Overall, I feel like I got the help I needed at Baptist behavioral health unit. I wish I had got everyone’s name to shout out all the staff, but I am super bad with names. Thank you for being a place of compassion during a dark period in my life. I hope I never have to be bad enough to go back, but if I do need help again, Baptist will be my first choice.

The group therapist Laura was very discriminatory towards a patient for having tourette’s.

My adult daughter has been a patient there 4 times now. The past 2 times she has been in complete psychosis. This last time they released her with no treat. No meds sent home after many suicide attempts. She does not… even have a clue what is reql and what is not. Her family is all back in Indiana and they have released her out onto the streets not even caring. I have begged them to help her and they have done nothing. There is no where to turn and no way to get help for her. She is in to bad of a mental state to even know she needs help. I can only pray nothing worse happens to her but when it does I will sue.

the staff are fine but seem to care more about getting u on meds more then helping u aha

If I could give them less stars I would. I was baker acted on lies. I watched someone die and come back to life. I slipped on unmarked water and slammed my head into the edge of a door so hard I saw stars. They made me… get a CT scan and now are trying to force me to pay for a CT scan and have sent me to collections and a law office. Absolute horrible place they do more harm than good.

Once again my child went age 13 and of course he gets sent home after a couple days. He's been baker acted several times and he gets sent home after 3 days. I never get to talk to the pyschiatrist. I don't get to talk… to anybody, just the nurse. Which by the way one of the nurses with dark black hair , kinda old maybe in her late 40's early 50s, she talks like she doesnt care. She is awful!!!! I keep getting the same diagnosis on discharge papers with is "adjustment disorder" Which is not accurate. I hear it's because they are trying to protect the kid's records for when they mature to adult. ok that is slighlty considerate, but as a mother dealing with my son's behavioral and mental issues. I need to know the real reason a real diagnosis.

Jail!!!!.without bars...Please do not take anyone you Love Here!. Patients are treated like a criminals. Your family and friends will suffer more than your love ones. Staff are absolutely unprofessional and ignorant.… They don't even attempt to help! Nurse Deanna ask me to discuss with management why SHE is over-worked and unpaid! Ridiculous!!!....How can staff assist anyone with a mental crisis,,,IF they Hate Working for Baptist. Maybe you should help your own employees with their Mental Health Issues before you claim you are qualified to help the general public.