LLU Behavioral Medical Center Celebrates 25 Years

LOMA LINDA>> On Aug. 31, the Loma Linda University Behavioral Medical Center celebrated 25 years of serving the community’s mental health needs. The celebration included speakers, a memory wall, refreshments and a photo booth, and took place in the gymnasium of the Barton Road facility. A wall of the gymnasium was set aside for a display of a timeline that depicted the history and evolution of the BMC, which started out in 1989 when Dr. David Hinshaw and Dr. Richard Griffen supported the purchase of Charter Hospital, an 89-bed psychiatric hospital that was for sale at the time. One year later, as the timeline attested, Lyn Behrens, MBBS called a group together to create a mental health council. One year later, the Loma Linda University Behavioral Medical Center opened its doors in 1991. Groundbreaking for the Behavioral Health Institute was a highlight during 2008, when it also received more than $600,000 in grants from the Riverside Community Health Foundation and Unihealth for SHIELD. The SHIELD program, a program that uses dialectical behavior modification was established at the LLU-BMC that same year, for adolescents who self-injure. When the LLU-Behavioral Health Institute opened in 2010, youth beds expanded to 41 and several programs began including the MEND program, a multidisciplinary treatment approach for children suffering from significant medical illnesses. The MEND program was lead by Kerry Heinrich, JD. The MEND program for adolescents was successful that in 2014, an adult partial MEND track was started. In 2012-2013, the entire program expanded out to Murrieta. The Murrieta BMC Partial Hospitalization Program - Intensive Outpatient Program opened its doors in 2012, beginning only with its Insight track. It later expanded to include Serenity, Focus and Discovery tracks. In 2013, LLU-BMC treated 4,281 inpatients and 1,588 outpatients, annually up from 4,129 inpatients and 1,044 outpatients in 2001, with more than 700 being treated for chronic pain and medication dependency. LLU-BMC is one of only five facilities in the US to offer chronic pain treatment. Speakers at the event reflected on the journey of the Loma Linda University Behavioral Medical Center: Edward Field, MBA, vice president and administrator of the LLU-BMC, Richard Hart, MD, DrPH, president and CEO of Loma Linda University Health, Lyndon Edwards, MBA MHS, senior vice president of adult hospital services, Roger Hadley, MD, executive vice president, Medical Affairs, Loma Linda University Health, Kerry Heinrich, JD, chief executive officer of Loma Linda University Medical center, and William Murdoch, MD, medical director of the Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center and chair of the department of psychiatry. Lyn Behrens was the event’s special surprise visitor and speaker. Behrens was invited to reflect on her many years of dedicated support and leadership; she served as president of the system from 1999-2004. According to the press release, she is most credited with the success of the Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center.