A psychiatrist with a long history of service in Orange County, Dr. Hoang “Wayne” Nguyen has been appointed medical director of the CHOC Mental Health Inpatient Center. He will also serve as medical director, child and adolescent psychiatry and chair of the psychiatry section of CHOC’s medical staff.
Dr. Nguyen earned his medical degree at Texas A&M University Health Sciences Center, followed by additional training at University of California, Irvine and University of Utah Health Science Center, where he served as chief resident. He is a diplomate with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in child/adolescent psychiatry and general psychiatry, as well as being board certified in psychosomatic medicine.
In addition to seeing patients in private practice, Dr. Nguyen has been a consulting psychiatrist for Fairview Development Center. There, he also served as chief of medical staff for five years. He was director of undergraduate medical education for psychiatry at University of California, Irvine, where he still holds an appointment as associate clinical professor.
Having joined CHOC’s medical staff in 2000, Dr. Nguyen has been integrally involved in the development of the Center. When it opens in April 2018, the 12,000-square foot, 18-bed facility will be the only one in Orange County to treat patients younger than 12. It is the only facility in California to offer all private rooms, as well as an option for parents to stay overnight with their children, as appropriate.
“I am extremely proud of CHOC’s commitment to creating a mental health system of care, including the Center as its centerpiece,” says Dr. Nguyen. “A child’s mental health is as important as physical health, and we are committed to making sure children and adolescents with mental illnesses receive high quality services without stigma or barriers to access.”
With Dr. Nguyen as its medical director, the Center will serve patients ages 3 to 17, with specialty programming available to children 12 and younger. Patients will participate in therapeutic programming seven days a week, which is unique among inpatient facilities. During their stay, typically five to seven days, patients will also have access to medical specialists if assessments suggest a relationship between the mental health condition and an underlying health issue.
CHOC’s broad and robust pediatric system of mental health care has been built to facilitate early diagnosis, intervention and treatment of pediatric mental health problems.
The system’s components include the ASPIRE® (After School Program Interventions and Resiliency Education) Intensive Outpatient Program at CHOC, designed to prevent psychiatric hospitalization and re-admission; mental health screenings in primary and specialty care settings; pediatric mental health training for community health care providers, school personnel and therapists; and a co-occurring clinic for patients with mental health challenges complicated by physical illnesses.
Other aspects include mental health triage at the Julia and George Argyros Emergency Department at CHOC Hospital; an early childhood mental health initiative set to begin in spring 2018 that is aimed at reducing behavior-related suspensions from child care and preschool settings; and faith community partnerships.
