PrairieCare values our patient’s education academic work, and recognizes the significance of school in the lives of youth. We are proud to host a classroom at each site, which is staffed by the local school district. Classroom staff contacts the patient’s school of residence upon intake to begin exchanging schoolwork and clinical information, when approved through a release of information. Please see MN Rule 3525.2325 for more information about education programs in centers for care and treatment.
PrairieCare accepts all insurances including: MA, PMAP, BCBS, HealthPartners, UBH/Medica and others. Not all services are in-network, but PrairieCare does not pass through any adjustments to the patient. PrairieCare will never hold a school responsible for payment for treatment, even if the school makes a direct referral.
The cost for hospitalization at PrairieCare is lower than the state average, and the lowest in the Twin Cities metro area. PrairieCare has provided more charitable care, as a percentage of total care provided, than any other hospital in Minnesota other than HCMC. PrairieCare also offers an extremely generous financial hardship program available to all patients.
PrairieCare offers cutting edge services made affordable by a highly efficient system of care. PrairieCare has a formal affiliation with the University of Minnesota Medical School and is the premiere training site for all physicians in the child psychiatry fellowship program. PrairieCare has adopted innovative practices not offered in other hospitals, designed to improve the quality of care and the patient/family experience. PrairieCare is the only hospital-based psychiatric provider growing and expanding services in Minnesota.
Anybody can schedule a free Needs Assessment 24/7 by calling PrairieCare at 888-9-PRAIRIE. Needs Assessments can usually be done the same day and ends with an admission to a PrairieCare program, or a referral to a more appropriate setting. The entire process takes about 90-minutes.
PrairieCare offers acute treatment for the most complex psychiatric disorders. Hospitalization by nature implies that the case is "difficult" and the staff at PrairieCare are some of the most highly trained experts in the field. Innovative treatment models and a staffing ratio of 3:1 allows PrairieCare to manage some of the most complex cases.
PrairieCare is devoted to bringing an awareness of mental health issues and treatment options to the community. Through a collaboration between Columbia University and The REACH Institute, PrairieCare is proud to offer the free training and installation of Diagnostic Predictive Scales to all local school districts in the twin cities metro area.
Diagnostic Predictive Scales is a mental health screening tool which uses criterion from the DSM-IV to identify over 20 mental health issues. This program is a computer administered audio interview that is customizable to each student. The DPS has been proven to be effective in identifying students with mental health concerns and has helped them find the resources necessary for treatment.
The following links provide more information about Diagnostic Predictive Scales and how PrairieCare has helped local schools utilize this program to help enhance the effectiveness of school support staff:
2008 Twin Cities DPS Pilot Project (PDF file)
DPS Instructions (PDF file)
License Agreement (PDF file)
Permission slip (PDF file)
DPS License Terms (PDF file)
Establishing Ongoing, Early Identification Programs for Mental Health Problems in Our Schools: A Feasibility Study (PDF file)
DPS White Paper (PDF file)
If you are interested in learning more about Diagnostic Predictive Scales, or would like to use this in your school, please contact Todd Archbold by phone at 952-836-8480 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Day Treatment and Partial Hospitalization, or Partial Hospital Program (PHP) have often been confused with one another. Both programs are designed to treat individuals for mental health reasons in a structured group day setting. However, there are vast differences in these distinct levels of care
A Partial Hospital Program is designed to treat a wide variety of psychiatric conditions in an acute care medical setting which can often be used for crisis stabilization and thorough psychological assessment.
A Day Treatment Program is often designed as an alternative daytime placement for an individual struggling in the daily mainstream setting.
The primary difference between PHP and Day Treatment programs is that PHP provides hospital based treatment in severe cases under the care of psychiatrists and nursing staff.
Educational services at PrairieCare are provided by specially trained staff from District 287. While receiving care at PrairieCare, staff will communicate with each child’s home school to obtain relevant homework to keep children on track during treatment. District 287 staff will manage any changes to educational programming necessary for ongoing success while at PrairieCare. Please click here for more information about District 287.
PrairieCare encourages guardians to contact their child’s home school district to arrange daily transportation to and from programming. A child’s resident school district (the district that the guardians address lies) has an obligation to provide transportation to and from care and treatment centers, such as PrairieCare. For further information, please refer to Minnesota state statutes in chapter 125.A. It may take 2-3 days for transportation to be setup, so we encourage guardians to make early contact.
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