BATON ROUGE – Patients suffering from COVID-19 while also under treatment for a mental illness face several challenges and Baton Rouge General is preparing a unit designed for these patients and their particular needs. 

The new 32-bed wing is designed to keep all patients as safe as possible.

All patients being treated within the new unit must be at least 18 years old with a confirmed positive COVID-19 test and with symptoms that are considered stable. 

Patients already in the hospital receiving care for COVID-19 who begin to exhibit psychiatric symptoms may be admitted, but medically complex patients may need to first be treated on an acute medical unit until stable enough to be transferred.

BRG’s existing behavioral health services include inpatient treatment for adults over 50 as well as outpatient treatment for ages 18 and older. BRG has provided behavioral health services since 1976, when it opened the state’s first chemical dependency unit.

BRG’s inpatient behavioral health units are located at the Mid City campus. For more information, call (225) 387-7904 or visit brgeneral.org.