Laurel Oaks Behavioral Health Center

The 55,000-square-foot facility is situated on approximately 10 acres in southeast Alabama, less than 20 miles from both Florida and Georgia. It is part of Universal Health Services (UHS), one of the nation's largest healthcare management companies, and employs approximately 195 staff members. The facility also houses New Day Academy, a state-supported year-round K-12th grade school with vocational opportunities. The center's mission centers on 'Creating hope, restoring dreams, and building futures' for patients with complicated problems and limited placement options. The CEO emphasizes that the facility's programs 'succeed where others have failed' by supporting patients through challenging stages of treatment in a secure, therapeutic environment. For nurses, responsibilities include providing psychiatric nursing care to children and adolescents, documentation, leading nursing groups, medication administration, and maintaining a safe therapeutic environment by intervening with disturbed patients. Employee reviews paint a mixed-to-negative picture of the workplace. Indeed reviews from Licensed Practical Nurses show an overall rating of 2.6 out of 5 stars based on 103 reviews, with particularly low scores for management (2.4/5) and culture (2.5/5). A current Mental Health Technician explicitly described the work environment as 'VERY hostile.' While some employees cite fair pay, personal appreciation, and a clear sense of purpose as positives, areas flagged for improvement include support from managers, trust in colleagues, and inclusivity.

The organization's mission is encapsulated in the slogan 'Creating hope, restoring dreams, and building futures.' The CEO emphasizes providing high-quality treatment services within a secure, therapeutic environment for children and adolescents with complicated psychiatric problems and limited placement options. The center positions itself as succeeding 'where others have failed' by understanding that learning new coping strategies can be difficult and frightening, and by supporting each patient through the most challenging stages of treatment.