Frequently Asked Questions

We are located inside San Gabriel Valley Medical Center at 438 West Las Tunas Drive, San Gabriel, California, 91776.

Please be advised due to COVID-19, we are currently in full compliance with CDC and WHO orders. Face-to-face visiting is indefinitely suspended until further notice from local and government officials and authorities.

Currently, phone calls are welcome from 9:00am-10:00am, 12:00pm-2:00pm, 5:00pm-7:00pm.

Please check back here for updates to the visitor policy.

The Behavioral Medicine Center can be directly reached at 626-300-7300. The main hospital phone number is 626-289-5454 and the operator can transfer the call to the BMC.

Sending mail to a loved one is a special gesture that can brighten up a patient’s day. It’s a safe means of communication, confidential, and especially effective in communicating intentions long distance. All parcels are directed to our mail room and distributed accordingly, to designated units daily. Please address your letter or package to:

[Name of patient]

San Gabriel Valley Medical Center

c/o The Behavioral Medicine Center (BMC)

438 West Las Tunas Drive

San Gabriel, CA 91776

Patients admitted to our psychiatric unit are evaluated in various ways:

Emergency Room/Department (ER/ED) admissions require an evaluation from a Psychiatrist, Psychiatric Evaluation Team (PET) or other LPS-designated professional that can assess for medical necessity.

Medical necessity for a behavioral health locked unit requires criteria that meets standards for Danger to Self, Danger to Others and/or Grave Disability. If an evaluation of a patient meets one or more criteria, the patient will be transported to the Behavioral Medicine Center (BMC) on a psychiatric hold, otherwise known as a 5150.

If a patient comes to the San Gabriel Valley medical Center Emergency Department voluntarily and report symptoms that trigger a personal response for care, they can presumably admit themselves on a voluntary basis. All of our patients transition to us from the emergency department.

Other hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other long-term care facilities may call our intake coordinator or charge nurse on duty as well. When a situation arises that necessitates an evaluation, our intake coordinator on duty can be reached Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm at 626-300-7308. After hours, a Charge Nurse can initiate the process at 626-300-7300.

The initial phone call will be met with questions that will provide clarity to our team for requirement to evaluate. From this point, we will send our psychiatric evaluation team to the location required for evaluation and if the presumed patient meets criteria for our unit, they will be transported by ambulance for care.

If you are at home and have concerns a loved one might be in need of this level of support, you may call these numbers for assistance and direction. Additionally you may always bring a loved one to any hospital for evaluation for appropriateness for a psychiatric stay. If you believe your life or the life of someone else is in danger, immediately call 911.

All patients are attended to by the nursing staff and are monitored for behaviors, safety, and medication management. We have a Charge Nurse on site to oversee the unit and nursing staff, social workers provide emotional support, process groups and discharge planning, while activity therapists facilitate activities to stimulate the mind and body. Call us today for more information on treatment approach and attention. We are here to help.

We are not a long-term care facility; we are acute and short-term. This means we treat the most grave of symptoms and discharge once stable.

Our mission is to stabilize the patient to a baseline that is manageable, and safely discharge patients home or to a level of care that can facilitate longer-term needs.

A psychiatric hold in the state of California lasts 72-hours and can be ended or extended by a psychiatrist within that amount of time. Our average length of stay can range anywhere from 3-days to 2-weeks.

Our rooms house 2-4 patients at a time. We aim to provide privacy and single room occupancy when possible.

Internet is not provided on our psychiatric unit to maintain compliance with HIPAA and for the privacy and safety of our patients and staff.

Should a patient have needs that require internet attention, we evaluate those concerns on a case-to-case basis, and if appropriate, a social worker will assist with those essentials, with the permission of the patient.

All patients are assessed and interviewed by our dietician for health restrictions, limitations and various contraindications prior to meals being served. Patient’s diet restrictions are monitored and managed throughout the entirety of their stay.

We have one large screen television in the activity room to encourage socializing.

A psychiatric crisis is usually not met with much preparedness or timing. We are ready for patients to come as they are. We provide adequate clothing and footwear that cannot be used for self-harm. Families are able to bring select personal items, food, and additional clothing that are checked for safety prior to being given to a patient. Belts, shoe laces, and scarves are just some of the items that are not allowed. Please call the nursing unit to verify that the items you want to bring are allowed at 626-300-7300.

Please call 626-943-4188 for all billing needs.

If you feel your loved one requires in-house psychiatric treatment, there are various ways to approach this sensitive topic. Please consult with other family members, friends, community resources and medical professionals for advice on the delicate nature to this approach. NAMI, the suicide prevention line and 211 are supportive avenues to begin this discussion.

Always consult with a medical professional if you have concerns with your loved one’s psychological stability. Mental health workers can be a great support to start the dialogue you want to relay to your family or friends in need.

Depression, anxiety, paranoia, etc. manifest in myriad ways. Symptoms can include sadness, hopelessness, helplessness, irritability, fatigue, racing thoughts and a bevy of other triggers. When you or a loved one start to begin to feel off a steady emotional baseline, please think about talking to someone, reaching out and seeking help.