Interdisciplinary care for complex medical and behavioral needs
Providing high-acuity medical care as patients work toward behavioral goals
Young people with complex medical conditions, especially those with simultaneous mental and behavioral health needs, often struggle to find comprehensive care. Most mental health facilities don’t provide medical care, and many standard hospitals are unable to manage mental and behavioral health conditions.
The True North Program offers one continuum of care for the whole person, guiding adolescents and young adults through their mental, behavioral, and physical health struggles. By combining clinical methodology, rehabilitation techniques, behavioral interventions, and ongoing medical care, this inpatient program helps patients navigate toward their true north.
We are committed to equipping the young people in our care with the tools they need for long-term success, because we’re compassionately mending minds.
Hospital-level care for teens with complex medical and behavioral needs
For adolescents and young adults with high-acuity medical, behavioral, and mental health needs, this medical inpatient setting combines the characteristics of a hospital with features of a residential environment. Patients may admit from an acute care hospital, psychiatric facility, or home.
it’s time to find your true north
Our program coordinators will help you find the right setting based on individual needs.
Interdisciplinary care for complex medical and behavioral needs
The True North Program provides high-acuity medical treatment, mental and behavioral health services, and rehabilitation to meet all patient needs within a single continuum of care. Nexus’ uniquely integrated approach bridges the mental and physical healthcare divide, improving outcomes for the adolescents and young adults we serve.
Common diagnoses:
- Acute infection
- Anxiety disorders
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Behavior dysregulation
- Bipolar disorder
- Borderline personality disorder
- Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD)
- Intellectual disability
- Major depressive disorder
- Physical deconditioning
- Schizophrenia
- Somatization disorders
- Seizure disorders
- Trauma and PTSD
- Uncontrolled diabetes
Admission criteria:
- Ages 12 up to 18
- Requires intensive out-of-home therapeutic intervention
- Symptoms are interfering with ability to function in significant life domains and/or activities
- Requires 24-hour supervision due to emotional and/or behavioral challenges that have caused safety concerns
- Exhibits significant maladaptive behaviors
- Has been unsuccessful in less restrictive environments
- Responds to clinical services and skill development within a structured setting
- Has the cognitive functioning to benefit from the clinical services
- Has high-acuity stable or chronic medical needs, such as feeding issues, broken bones, or wound care needs
- Requires specialty medical equipment or treatment, such as a wheelchair, dialysis, IV, or NG tube
Program features:
- Integrates family medicine, physical medicine, psychiatry, psychotherapy, rehabilitation, and skilled therapies
- Psychiatrist-led, personalized plans that combine different types of services, based on the patient’s unique needs
- Trauma-informed, evidence-based individual and group therapies, including dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), family systems therapy/family psychoeducation, and interpersonal psychotherapy
- Behavioral health counseling
- Physical, occupational, and speech therapies
- Recreational therapy, pet therapy, music therapy, and activities
- Positive reinforcement through proprietary token economy
- Concurrent, TEA-accredited school enrollment
- 24-hour nursing coverage
- Nurse practitioner coverage five days/week
Why is it so difficult to find inpatient medical, behavioral, and mental healthcare?
Accessing inpatient care for complex medical, behavioral, and mental health needs can feel overwhelming. The challenge lies in the fragmented nature of care systems. Many facilities specialize in only one area — medical, behavioral, or mental health — leaving patients with co-occurring conditions struggling to find comprehensive treatment. Limited bed availability, strict admission criteria, and a national shortage of specialized providers further complicate the process. For families and caregivers, navigating this maze is exhausting, especially when time-sensitive care is critical. Bridging these gaps requires integrated programs that offer comprehensive, interdisciplinary support in a single, seamless environment.
Learn more about the importance of integrated care for medically complex patients.
True North Hospital Care services
