Psychiatric Solutions’ Fremont Hospital Workers Wear Yellow to Raise Awareness of Mental Health

FREMONT, Calif. – (May 25, 2010) – “Each day is a brighter day” for thousands of patients at Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. facilities nationwide. Staff members at Fremont Hospital will be using that theme to raise awareness of mental health issues and to underscore the importance of behavioral healthcare for overall health and economic impact.

In honor of Mental Health Month in May, Fremont’s parent company, Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. (PSI), is asking approximately 23,000 workers at about 100 facilities to wear yellow on May 26 to emphasize “Each day, a brighter day.”

“Mental health workers across the country provide a valuable service, helping some of the most vulnerable members of our communities,” said Joey Jacobs, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. “Helping them improve their lives helps us all. We are proud that our work extends past the walls of our facilities and helps us become a worthwhile contributor to our society and our nation’s economy.”

Jacobs is referring to a new study commissioned by the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS) that takes a close look at the impact inpatient psychiatric facilities have on the economy. The study found not only do such facilities help develop a healthy mind, they also help develop a healthy economy.

The study shows for every dollar spent by psychiatric hospitals and residential treatment centers, the national economy realizes $2.97. In 2009, facilities across the United States had $20.6 billion in direct expenditures, translating into a total economic impact in the U.S. of $61.2 billion. Researchers found that everything psychiatric hospitals and residential treatment centers buy, provide or pay for make a significant difference to the overall economic health of the U.S.

But the numbers aren’t just dollars and cents. Approximately 223,000 people currently are working in inpatient psychiatric facilities nationwide. This, in turn, creates other positions in the national labor market in industries such as real estate and pharmaceuticals. The NAPHS study found every one job directly held in the inpatient psychiatric hospital sector resulted in the addition of nearly two jobs in that particular community.

“Mental illness is greatly misunderstood in our society,” said Sidney Ono, CEO of Fremont Hospital. “By banding together and wearing yellow on this day, we hope to raise awareness and change the perception of mental health.”

For more information about the NAPHS study, please visit www.psychiatricsolutionsmentalhealth.com

About Fremont Hospital
Fremont Hospital is a private, modern 96-bed behavioral healthcare facility that provides services to adolescents (ages 12-17) and adults. Fremont Hospital provides a supportive environment in which individuals learn to modify behaviors that have made life difficult to manage. Individual attention is an integral part of Fremont Hospital’s strong commitment to quality care. Services offered include treatment of psychiatric conditions, chemical dependency and treatment of dual diagnosis (co-existing psychiatric condition and chemical dependency). A variety of treatment programs are available, including inpatient care, partial hospitalization (day treatment) and an intensive outpatient program. For more information, please visit www.fremontmediapsi.com

About Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. (PSI)
Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. offers an extensive continuum of behavioral health programs to critically ill children, adolescents and adults and is the largest operator of owned or leased freestanding psychiatric inpatient facilities with more than 11,000 beds in 32 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. PSI also manages freestanding psychiatric inpatient facilities for government agencies and psychiatric inpatient units within medical/surgical hospitals owned by others. For more information, please visit www.psychiatricsolutionsmedia.com

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