South Mountain Restoration Center

South Mountain Restoration Center is a 159 bed long-term care facility dedicated to providing compassionate, professional quality care to our residents. 

The Center is located in Franklin County on Pennsylvania Route 233 between Gettysburg and Chambersburg, adjacent to Caledonia State Park, the Mont Alto Campus of The Pennsylvania State University and is surrounded by the rolling hills and beautiful woodlands of south-central Pennsylvania's Michaux State Forest.

The Center is licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It is our mission to provide the highest quality of care and services to our residents in order to assist their recovery. The ultimate goal of the Center, whenever possible, is to have residents return to their home in their community.

South Mountain Restoration Center is "A Community of Hope".

Admission Process

The Center serves individuals from it's local communities and throughout the Commonwealth. The Center provides care to persons who have histories of serious psychiatric illness, persons who have lived for many years in state centers and persons who have been incarcerated. Residents of the Center have exhausted other alternatives for placement, are psychiatrically stable and do not exhibit behaviors that would put themselves, or other residents, at risk of harm.

The Center restricts the admission of residents with active psychosis, substance abuse problems or combative behavior. Residents are admitted without regard to race, color, national origin, religious creed, sex, actual or perceived sexual orientation, actual or perceived gender identity, and/or actual or perceived gender expression, age or disability. All new residents must be certified by the Area Agency on Aging as needing nursing home care.

For additional information about admission, or to make a referral, please contact the Center's Social Service Department. The Social Service staff are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and may be contacted by calling 717-749-3121.

Messages may be left 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the above-listed telephone number and someone will return the call during regular hours of operation.

Resident Programs

The Center's holistic approach to recovery-oriented care includes programs that are in place and available to our residents to address their individualized needs. Our programs are specially designed to enhance the quality of life and encourage independence. Goals promote optimal physical, emotional, social and spiritual health. Many of our residents have co-occurring disorders that include dementia, along with chronic physical and mental problems. Many residents receive complex medical interventions including gastrostomy tubes and intravenous medications.

Our residents stretch across the continuum of age, health, and need for support; so our recovery programs are as individualized as the needs of each resident. After admission, Center staff and residents work together to develop an individualized treatment plan which is based upon a comprehensive plan developed and administered by the Center's interdisciplinary team.

Services are designed to meet the needs of our special populations: persons of size, persons on parole, persons with a history of mental illness, and persons with dementia. These services may include, but are not limited to; skilled nursing, social services, medicine, activities, pastoral care, dietetics, physical occupational, speech and music therapies, and psychological services. Other services are provided to residents of the Center by community-based consultants.

Additional programming is provided through interactions with volunteer groups, religious services, and professional hair care services. Recreational activities include holiday parties, carnivals, open houses, trips, picnics and other activities organized by staff members.

Residents who have made progress through their treatment program are encouraged to participate in more independent activities as staff explore the possibility of returning the resident to a community-based treatment program. Social workers consider a broad range of living arrangements by contacting family and service providers in the resident's chosen county of residence to ensure that the resident receives appropriate treatment services in the community.

A committed workforce, Board of Trustees, advocates, community volunteers, family and resident councils, consultants and spiritual leaders help ensure the provision of quality care and integration of the residents into the wider community.

Resident Rights

The South Mountain Restoration Center is committed to assuring that the rights of all residents are protected, as outlined in Federal and State regulations and in agency policy. We provide copies of these rights to residents at admission and annually. Copies of the residents' rights are also available to families and others.

The Center believes in and respects resident rights by providing a quality of life that supports independent expression, decision-making, and action. These rights provide for considerate and respectful treatment in an environment, which contributes to a positive self-image and preserves dignity.

The South Mountain Restoration Center trains all employees to assure that the rights of residents are respected and protected. Other organization safeguards established to protect resident rights include the External Advocate Program.

External Advocacy Services

Advocacy services are available through the Franklin/Fulton Mental Health Association. The External Advocate works on the hospital premises and is available to all residents and their families. They can be reached by calling 717-749-4042.

Advisory Structure

The Resident Council meets with the Center staff on a monthly basis to discuss concerns and suggestions for program improvements. The Family Council also meets with Center staff to learn of program updates, discuss concerns and offer suggestions for program improvements.

An Advisory Board of Trustees, consisting of nine community members appointed for time-limited terms by the Governor, meets on a quarterly basis to advise the Center's CEO regarding concerns and suggestions for program improvements.