Western State Hospital has been providing mental health services since 1828, being the second facility of this kind in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Over the course of the following century, the center underwent several name changes and renovations, yet its mission remained unchanged: to provide safe and effective individualized treatment to the residents of the community affected by mental and/or substance abuse disorders. Western State Hospital is licensed and operated by the Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services, which operates a network of 15 mental health facilities.
The services offered by Western State Hospital are divided in 4 major areas: mental health, mental retardation, substance use disorders and child family services. The objective of all these programs is to promote dignity, choice, recovery and the highest possible level of participation in work, relationships and all other aspects of community life for individuals affected by any of these disorders. Western State Hospital is affiliated with the University of Virginia and other institutions of higher education, which guarantees an ever growing commitment to improve and offer the best possible attention.
If you?ve had the chance to work for both private and public health institutions, by this time you already now the drill: the former have plenty of resources while the latter are (normally) begging for more. This seems to be the case once more here, and the contrasts is evident from the moment you first set your sight on Western State Hospital?s website, which is far less enticing than the average. As far as the job openings are concerned, the website states that there are positions available, but this information could not be confirmed at the time of this writing, since the listings were unavailable.