The Washington Heights Community Service (WHCS) inpatient unit, often referred to as 5 South (formerly 4 South), provides inpatient psychiatric services to individuals experiencing acute signs and symptoms associated with mental illness. 5 South is staffed by highly trained individuals in psychiatry, nursing, social work, rehabilitation therapy, and peer services who work together in a multi-disciplinary team approach in the assessment, development of individualized care plans, and treatment of its patients. The multidisciplinary team is particularly skilled and experienced in the treatment of psychotic disorders, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders, among others.
Cultural and Linguistically Sensitive Care
Given the demographics of Northern Manhattan and the large number of immigrants from Latin America and various Caribbean islands, many staff members on 5 South are both bilingual in Spanish and bicultural, from Spanish language countries. An on-call service is also available at all times for any language not met by our internal resources.
Therapeutic Modalities and Services
- Individual Psychopharmacology
- Individual Psychotherapy
- Therapy and Meetings with Families and Significant others
- Group Psychotherapy and Activities
- Physical Health Care for Urgent and Emergency Health Conditions
- Discharge or After Care Planning
Comprehensive System of Care
Most people discharged from 5 South are referred to one of the three WHCS outpatient clinics—Audubon, Inwood, or OnTrackNY/WHCS—where they continue to receive culturally sensitive, personalized, and comprehensive psychiatric care from psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, many of whom have faculty appointments in the Columbia University Irving Medical School. Referral to one of the three WHCS clinics allows for continuity of care that further enhances the services individuals receive through our network.
World-Renown Psychiatric Training and Teaching Program
The WHCS inpatient unit serves as one of the major psychiatric teaching units in the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital system and Columbia University. Psychiatric residents, medical students, nursing students, social work interns, and occupational therapy students all rotate through the service. These individuals participate in multidisciplinary team meetings and are supervised by their respective professors and by the senior, permanent staff on the unit.
Contact Us
The WHCS inpatient Unit is located in the New York State Psychiatric building:
1051 Riverside Drive
New York, NY 10032
For more information, contact 646-774-7813.