The Geropsychiatric Center at Auburn Regional Medical Center has been expanded and renamed the Regional Behavioral Health Center at Auburn, “Caring for the Mature Mind”.

Auburn Regional’s psychiatric services now include two units totaling 38 beds. Each unit is designed to address the specific needs of older patients. The Memory Wellness Unit concentrates on patients who are challenged by memory loss, depression and dementia. The Emotional Wellness Unit focuses on creating a healing environment for those recovering from mental illness and helping them build resiliency to prevent relapse.

The service is open for patients 50 years and older with memory loss, depression, severe sadness, anxiety, or other mental illness symptoms that are emergent or that have not responded to outpatient therapies.

The Regional Behavioral Health Center is a voluntary admission psychiatric facility. Patients must be willing, without coercion, to sign themselves into the program or have a Healthcare Power of Attorney, or guardian who can sign on their behalf.

The Memory Wellness Unit will continue to care for patients with severe memory loss, associated symptoms, and patients who are severely ill with other mental illnesses.

The Emotional Wellness Unit will care for patients who have higher cognitive ability, more awareness of the environment and who can actively participate in required therapies.

The referral process is the same. A Regional Behavioral Clinical Specialist will make a determination with the team as to the best assignment for each patient.