College Hospital Cerritos: Psychiatric Services, Oversight, and Patient Safety

College Hospital Cerritos is a private psychiatric hospital located in Cerritos, California, established in 1973. Accredited by the Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality (CIHQ) and licensed by the California Department of Health Services, it provides a range of psychiatric services for patients of most ages. The hospital prides itself on being a leading provider of Partial Hospitalization Programs in Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

Overview of Services and Accreditation

College Hospital Cerritos (CHC) is a free-standing psychiatric hospital that offers a spectrum of mental health services. The hospital is accredited by the Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality (CIHQ) and licensed by the California Department of Health Services, ensuring adherence to quality and safety standards.

Leadership and Key Personnel

The hospital's operations are directed by Mr. Witt, who has been in charge since 1994. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. Mr. Witt directs all functions of the hospital, ensuring compliance with regulatory guidelines and the attainment of the institution's strategic objectives, under the policies established by the Governing Board.

Medical Staff

Stephen A. Wronski, MD: Dr. Wronski has been a member of the Active Medical Staff at College Hospital Cerritos for over 10 years. He is Triple Board Certified in Child, Adolescent, Adult, and Administrative Psychiatry. His roles include active patient care and utilization review issues. He also serves as Medical Director for an HMO Behavioral Management Company and a community-based multi-region mental health corporation.
Karamigios, MD: Dr. Karamigios has been a member of the Active Medical Staff at College Hospital Cerritos for over 25 years. He is Triple Board Certified in Child, Adolescent, Adult, and Geriatric Psychiatry and is involved in clinical inpatient care and administrative functions at the hospital.
Louise M. Ferraro: Ms. Ferraro has been an integral part of the College Hospital Cerritos team for more than sixteen years.
Holly McKittrick: Holly McKittrick has worked in the Human Resources Department at College Hospital since June 1993. Prior to her promotion she spent five years undergoing succession planning with the Regional HR Director.
Kiyo Teshima, RN: Kiyo Teshima joined College Hospital Cerritos in 2002. As Chief Nursing Officer, Mrs. Teshima oversees all clinical departments, including Nursing, Social Services, Activity Therapy, and Utilization Review. She is responsible for the daily clinical operations at CHC, emphasizing a team approach to care and providing support and assistance to clinical staff. Mrs. Teshima provides and maintains a variety of educational opportunities designed to meet the staff development needs of the CHC clinical departments. Mrs. Teshima has been an RN for more than 30 years.
Cara Jenson: Since May 2003, Cara Jenson has held several positions at College Hospital Cerritos, beginning her career in the Admitting Department. As Director of Quality Improvement/Risk Management, Ms. Jenson is responsible for regulatory compliance and has led CHC to successful Joint Commission (TJC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Department of Mental Health surveys. She is also responsible for coordinating all Performance Improvement Activities and serves as the HIPAA Privacy Officer. Ms. Jenson holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematics from the University of California, Riverside, and an Associate’s Degree from Cypress College.

Disability Rights California Investigation

Disability Rights California (DRC) investigated College Hospital, a private psychiatric hospital in Cerritos, CA, after receiving reports of high rates of restraint and seclusion. The investigation focused on the hospital's use of restraint and seclusion, and how other aspects of treatment and the environment impact people with developmental and mental health care needs.

Scope of the Investigation

The investigation by DRC involved:

Inspection of all facility areas accessible to residents in College’s DDMI units, which are units where people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) along with a significant mental illness are housed.
Interviews with patients and staff.
Review of thousands of pages of documents.

Findings and Recommendations

DRC's investigation report provides findings and recommendations for reform, specifically addressing the hospital’s use of restraint and seclusion and its impact on individuals with developmental and mental health needs. Disability Rights California’s Investigations Unit turned its attention to College Hospital, Cerritos after observing alarming rates of patient seclusion and restraint practices. The amount received or expected to be received from third-party payers (insurers) and patients for hospital services provided. The approximate average period of hospitalization, inclusive of long-term care (LTC) services, for inpatients formally admitted during the report period. The average is calculated by dividing total patient days by the number of discharges.

Patient Safety and Crisis Intervention

Patient safety is the highest priority for the staff at College Hospital Cerritos. The hospital also operates a Crisis Team, which is a mobile team of clinicians who respond to requests for service in Los Angeles County at any “safe” location such as Emergency Rooms, Police Departments, Clinics, Treatment Centers, Residential Care Facilities, Retirement Homes, Convalescent Homes, places of employment, therapists’ office or private residences.

Crisis Team Details

All on-site or off-site assessments, consultations, and referrals are conducted by designated licensed mental health professionals.
This multidisciplinary team includes RN’s, MFT’s, and LCSW’s.

Language Accessibility

College Hospital Cerritos provides qualified interpreter services, including sign language, at no cost, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during all hours of operations at all points of contact. The hospital does not encourage the use of family, friends, or minors as interpreters, ensuring that only the services of interpreters and qualified staff are used to provide language assistance. These may include bilingual providers, staff, and healthcare interpreters. In-person, telephone, video, and alternative modes of communication are available.

Regulatory Oversight

HCAI regulates the design and construction of healthcare facilities to ensure they are safe and capable of providing services to the public.

Kaiser Permanente and Medi-Cal Information

The online directory is updated periodically, but the availability of physicians, hospitals, providers, and services may change. Information about a practitioner is provided by the practitioner or obtained as part of the credentialing process. Medi-Cal Members: This directory includes Kaiser Permanente’s outpatient pharmacies. You can get any drugs covered by Kaiser Permanente at one of these pharmacies. You can get outpatient drugs covered by Medi-Cal at any Medi-Cal Rx Pharmacy. It does not have to be a Kaiser Permanente network pharmacy. Most Kaiser Permanente network pharmacies are Medi-Cal Rx pharmacies. Your pharmacy can tell you if it is part of the Medi-Cal Rx network. If you want to find a Medi-Cal pharmacy outside of Kaiser Permanente, you can use the Medi-Cal Rx Pharmacy Locator online at www.Medi-CalRx.dhcs.ca.gov.

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Kaiser Permanente uses the same quality, member experience, or cost-related measures to select practitioners and facilities in Marketplace Silver-tier plans as it does for all other Kaiser Foundation Health Plan (KFHP) products and lines of business. The measures may include, but are not limited to, HEDIS/CAHPS performance, member/patient complaints, patient safety scores, hospital quality measures, and geographic need. Members enrolled in KFHP Marketplace plans have access to all professional, institutional and ancillary health care providers who participate in KFHP plans’ contracted provider network, in accordance with the terms of members’ KFHP plan of coverage. Kaiser Permanente uses the same geographic distribution consideration to select hospitals in Marketplace plans as it does for all other Kaiser Foundation Health Plan (KFHP) products and lines of business.

Average Period of Hospitalization

The approximate average period of hospitalization, inclusive of long-term care (LTC) services, for inpatients formally admitted during the report period. The average is calculated by dividing total patient days by the number of discharges.

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