Women’s Inpatient Unit

The Women’s Inpatient Unit at the UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute (PRI), known as the 5-North Unit, is devoted solely to the care of women patients and offers a therapy-rich environment with a focus on perinatal populations. The experienced staff is available 24 hours a day to provide patients with state-of-the-art care and assistance with any psychiatric and medical concerns they might have. Referrals to the Women’s Inpatient Unit are received through emergency rooms or providers throughout the state.

About the Care We Offer

This unique women’s inpatient unit is tailored to meet the needs of patients with acute mental illness with a focus on women who are pregnant or postpartum. The only one of its kind in Arkansas, the 10-bed unit was developed to treat conditions such as severe depression and anxiety that have been triggered by events such as trauma, pregnancy and life transitions. Patients meet one-on-one daily with the treatment team including a psychiatrist specialized in women’s mental health, social work, and nursing staff.

Care for New Mothers

Within an academic medical center, access to obstetrical care and lactation support occurs on a daily basis. We offer expanded visitation hours and allow new mothers to nurse their infant, unlike other facilities. The physicians working on the unit are trained in reproductive psychiatry that will help them address the needs of women dealing with sudden physical and hormonal changes. The inpatient unit environment provides our patients a warm, secure and friendly approach to their treatment.

Special consideration is given to the dietary requirements of new mothers. Therapy sessions are held around the extended sleep schedules of mothers and newborns.

A Holistic Approach

Both group and individual therapy is available to the patients on the unit, with yoga and other activity therapies to offer a holistic approach to healing. From depression and trauma to anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, the women’s inpatient unit is well-equipped to accommodate this very important and typically underserved portion of our population.