Guide to Arriving at McLean

7/30/2019 Guide to Arriving at McLean

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Guide toArriving at

McLeanHospital

Helpful Information for Patients, Families and Friends


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Guide to Arriving at McLean Hospital is based on material published in the McLean Hospital Admissions Kit

developed by McLeans Communications Oce and the Clinical Evaluation Center and on the

Student Guide to Hospitalization developed by McLeans College Mental Health Program.

McLean is the largest psychiatric acility o Harvard Medical School and a member o Partners HealthCare.

115 Mill Street :: Belmont, MA 02478 :: 800.333.0338 :: www.mcleanhospital.org

2012 The McLean Hospital

It is the policy of McLean Hospitalto afrmatively provide treatment

and care to patients without regard

to their race, religion, color, national

origin, sex, age, ancestry, disability,

sexual orientation, or any other

basis that would be in violation

of any applicable law

or regulation.


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Guide to Arriving at McLean Hospital

Welcome to McLean Hospital

We are here to help you. Each member o the McLean community

strives to achieve our mission o improving the lives o our patients

and their amilies and we dedicate ourselves to providing you with

compassionate and respectul specialized psychiatric care. You are a

vital member o our team. Together with you, we will seek to chart a

path toward your recovery and well-being.

We will work closely with you to develop an individualized treatment

plan to ensure that you receive eective and compassionate care.

Our sta will work with you and your amily to provide you with

guidance and tools to help you better understand and manage your

illness and symptoms, strengthen your resilience, and improve your

mental health going orward.

We have prepared this guide to provide an overview o what you

can expect when you arrive at McLean and to address questions and

concerns that you and your amily may have. It was written with

valuable contributions rom McLean's Patient and Family Advisory

Council. We hope that you nd the inormation helpul.

Thank you or placing your trust in McLean Hospital.

Your health, comort and well-being are our highest priorities.

With best wishes,

Scott L. Rauch, MD

President and Psychiatrist in Chie


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Arriving at McLean

About McLean

McLean Mission/McLean Values..............................................................................................................................3

For Patients

What happens when I arrive at McLeans Clinical Evaluation Center (Admissions)

on the Belmont campus? .............................................................................................................................................5What happens when I arrive at McLean SouthEast in Brockton, Mass.? ........................................................5

How long does the admissions process take in the CEC and at McLean SouthEast? ...................................5

Why do dierent McLean sta ask me the same questions? ..............................................................................6

What releases will I be asked to sign? .......................................................................................................................6

What happens once I am admitted? .........................................................................................................................6

What happens i I am not admitted? .........................................................................................................................6

What personal items and belongings will I need during my hospital stay? .....................................................6

What do I need to know once I arrive on the inpatient unit? .............................................................................8

For Families and Friends

When can I see my amily member or riend who is being evaluatedat the McLean Clinical Evaluation Center on the Belmont campus? ...............................................................9

How do the privacy rules aect what McLean clinicians and sta can tell me? .............................................9

How can I learn more? ................................................................................................................................................9

T

ableofCo

ntents


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Guide to Arriving at McLean Hospital: About McLean 3

McLean Mission

McLean Hospital is committed to providing a ull range o high quality cost-eective

mental health services to our patients their amilies and the larger community.

The hospital is dedicated to training mental health proessionals, to conducting basic

and clinical research to understand the causes o mental illnesses, and to developing

eective new means or their prevention and treatment.

McLean Values are at the core of everything we do. As clinicians, researchers,educators, administrators and support sta, we conduct ourselves in ways thatrefect our deep commitment to integrity, compassion and respect, diversity and

teamwork, excellence and innovation. These Values are the essence of McLean;

they are at once emblematic of who we are and what we aspire to be.

~Scott L. Rauch, MD, President and Psychiatrist in Chief, McLean HospitalMcLean VaLues

We dedicate ourselves each and every day to McLeans mission o clinical care,

scientic discovery, proessional training and public education in order to

improve the lives o people with psychiatric illness and their amilies.

In all o our work, we strive to:

Conductourselveswithunwaveringintegrity

Demonstratecompassion and respect or

our patients, their amilies and our colleagues

Fosteranenvironmentthatembracesdiversity

and promotes teamwork

Achieveexcellence and ever-better eectiveness

and efciency through innovation


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Guide to Arriving at McLean Hospital

Helpful Information forPatients, Families and Friends


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Guide to Arriving at McLean Hospital: For Patients 5

ForPatientsWhat happens when I arrive at McLeans Clinical Evaluation

Center (Admissions) on the Belmont campus?

When you arrive at McLeans Belmont campus,

you will meet with clinicians in the Clinical

Evaluation Center (CEC). A mental health specialist

(MHS) will talk with you and gather preliminary

inormation as the rst step in a thorough

diagnostic psychiatric evaluation.

Initially, or your saety and the saety o others,

a sta member, usually a mental health specialist,

will check to see i you have items that could pose

a hazard. Your personal belongings will be stored

saely in a locked space. You will be given an

identication wristband which you should wear

at all times.

The MHS will provide an orientation to the CEC

and check your vital signs. A nurse will assess and

provide or your nursing care needs, including

medications, and ask about any unstable medical

conditions or acute saety concerns. A clinical

evaluator then will conduct an initial evaluation.

This evaluation helps the clinical sta determine

which hospital inpatient program meets your

needs. The evaluation also helps the clinical sta

develop your initial treatment plan. Based on

this admission assessment, medication may be

started or continued and tests may be ordered.

Please ask questions and share your concerns. Your

participation is very important during this process.

Up to two amily members or riends, except or

children under 18 years old, may stay with you (i

you permit them) while you are in the CEC. Family

and riends will be asked to step out o the room

or all or part o the evaluation so you can give

private inormation to the treatment team. Formal

amily meetings are not routinely part o the initial

evaluation. These will occur later on the inpatient

unit with sta who will ollow you throughout

your stay and become more amiliar with you

and your amily.

Any amily members or riends with inormation

that is important or clinicians to know during the

initial assessment should ask to speak with sta

i they do not have an opportunity to provide this

inormation during the evaluation.

What happens when I arrive at McLean SouthEast in Brockton, Mass.?

At McLean SouthEast, the admission process

is similar but takes place on the inpatient unit.

A mental health specialist, social worker, nurse,

and psychiatrist will participate in the process.

Family and riends may be asked to take part

i they are present.

How long does the admissions process take in the CEC and atMcLean SouthEast?

Typically, this process takes three to our hours. Part

o this time is needed to write the initial admission

note, record inormation about your treatment plan

and talk to your insurance company.

At the end o this process, you will be admitted to an

inpatient unit or directed to the most appropriate

setting or your care.


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6 Guide to Arriving at McLean Hospital: For Patients

Why do diferent McLean staf ask me the same questions?

ForPatients

You will most likely be asked to tell us about yoursel

a ew times, one time with each proessional who

meets with you. Dierent sta will listen to your

answers or dierent purposes. We want to be as

thorough as possible as we work with you to develop

your treatment plan.

What releases will I be asked to sign?You will be asked to sign release o inormation

orms or your insurance carrier, primary care

physician, psychiatrist and therapist. These

releases are required so we may communicate with

your insurance carrier and with your health care

providers outside McLean.

Later in the process o your treatment, you will

be asked to sign additional release o inormation

orms in order or sta to speak with your amily

or riends.

What happens once I am admitted?

Once you have been admitted, a sta member will

accompany you to the inpatient unit in which you

will be staying. I amily or riends are present, they

may go with you to the unit. In some circumstances,

they may be asked to wait until you are settled in

your room. You will be assigned a clinical treatment

team who will take care o you during your stay.

What happens i I am not admitted?

I you are not admitted to a McLean inpatient unit,

you may be reerred to one o McLeans residential

or partial hospitalization (day) programs or to our

outpatient service. Because o your treatment needs

and/or your health insurance provider network,

we may reer you to a community mental

health provider.

What personal items and belongings will I need during my hospital stay?Clothing

Plan to wear casual clothes while at McLean and

bring two changes o machine-washable clothes

or day and night wear, including undergarments,

socks, bathrobe and slippers. Washing machines

and dryers are available on every inpatient unit.

We also suggest that you have a pair o comortable

shoes and a jacket or coat. Please mark your name

on all pieces o clothing, as well as on such items as

eyeglasses, contact lens cases, hearing aids, walkersand canes.

The McLean Clothing Bank has a limited supply o

clean donated clothing available in many sizes or

patients. Unit sta can assist you in contacting the

Clothing Bank at617.855.2118. I you receive an

item, it is yours to keep.

Medications

To enable the clinical team to review your

medications accurately during the admissions

process, we recommend that, i possible, you bring

all o your prescription medications in their original

containers to the hospital.

Once you are admitted, all medications that you

need will be dispensed by the McLean Pharmacy in

accordance with state and ederal regulations and

hospital policies.


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Guide to Arriving at McLean Hospital: For Patients 7

ForPatientsWhat personal items and belongings will I need during my hospital stay? (continued)

Personal Care Items

You may want to bring the ollowing items:

Toothbrush Toothpaste

Shampoo

Soapwith

container

Hairbrush

Comb Eyeglasses

Contactlens

care material

Deodorant

Feminine

hygiene products

Please bring any durable medical equipment

you will need:

Cane

Wheelchair

CPAPmachine

Visualaids

Hearingaids

Batteries

(i needed)

You may be asked to leave items with cords

at the nursing station when not in use.

Basic hygiene kits (comb, soap, toothbrush and

toothpaste) can be provided at no cost to you i

you do not have these items. Feminine hygiene

products are also readily available.

Personal Valuables

McLean Hospital is not responsible or loss or

damage to personal items, including eyeglasses,

hearing aids and dentures. We recommend thatyou keep jewelry and other valuables at home

and not carry more than $10 in cash. Please

consider sending valuables home with amily.

For privacy reasons, cameras, including those

in cellphones, and other electronic recording

devices are not allowed on inpatient units.

Items that are not allowed on the unit

for safety and privacy reasons:

Alcoholic

beverages

Razors

Guns/weapons

Knives/other

sharp objects

Cameras

Glassbottles

Matches/lighters

Plasticbags

Drugs/

medications

Scissors

Mirrors

Video/tape

recorders

Glasspicture

rames

Please check the policies on your unit aboutthe ollowing items:

Beltsandclotheswithremovable

drawstring closures

Dentaloss

Electricshaver

Hairdryer/curlingirons/atirons

Nailclippers

iPod/MP3players/headphones

Cigarettesandothertobaccoproducts

Sodaandotherbeveragesincans

Cellphones

Some inpatient units do not allow cellphone use

while others discourage or restrict their use. A ew

inpatient units allow cellphones, but only those

without cameras. Please check with the sta about

cellphone policies on your unit.

Computers

Computers and any electronic equipment that can

be used to photograph or record sound or images

are not permitted on McLean inpatient units. The

Cole Consumer Resource Center has computers or

patient use. Please check with the sta on your unit

regarding policies about leaving the unit to go to the

Cole Center.

Please check with your nurse i you have any

questions about what is or is not allowed.


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What do I need to know once I arrive on the inpatient unit?

A mental health specialist or nurse will help you get

settled on the unit and in your room. All inpatient

sta are available to answer questions and address

concerns that you may have.

Inaddition,apublicationcalledGuidetoInpatient

Care at McLean Hospital is available on every

inpatient unit and at www.mcleanhospital.org.

ThisGuideprovidesanswerstomanyquestions

and presents a lot o inormation that you may

nd helpul.

Once settled, your amily and riends may visit with

you. In general, amily and riends are allowed

to visit during scheduled visiting hours and only i

you wish to see them. Talk to a sta member about

concerns you may have about visitors.

During your stay, a team o clinicians, including

doctors, nurses and a case manager, will oversee

your care and treatment and help you on your way

to recovery.

ForPatients

8 Guide to Arriving at McLean Hospital: For Patients


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Guide to Arriving at McLean Hospital: For Families and Friends 9

Up to two amily members and close riends,

except or children under 18 years old, may stay,

with the patients permission, while he or she is in

the Clinical Evaluation Center. Family and riends

will be asked to step out o the room during

the evaluation.

Any amily member or riend with inormation

that is important or clinicians to know during the

initial assessment should ask to speak with sta

i they do not have an opportunity to provide this

inormation during the evaluation. Formal amily

meetings are not routinely part o the initial

evaluation. These will occur later in the inpatient

stay with sta on the unit.

When can I see my amily member or riend who is being evaluated at theMcLean Clinical Evaluation Center on the Belmont campus?

How do the privacy rules afect what McLean clinicians and stafcan tell me?

Patients who are 18 years old or older are legal

adults with legal privacy rights. The HealthInsurance Portability and Accountability Act o

1996 (HIPAA) prohibits clinical sta rom sharing

inormation without a patients written consent. All

health providers must comply with these ederal

regulations, which means that they must obtain

ormal permission to share inormation (including

diagnosis, treatment and prognosis) with you, or

anyone else, even i you are a spouse, a parent or a

guardian o a patient. A patient provides permission

by signing a release o inormation orm.

Release o inormation orms can be signed during

the admission process and can also be completed

on the unit. I the patient has not signed a release

or the clinical sta to give you inormation, they

cannot share any inormation. Please note, however,

that you may share with clinicians any inormation

that you think is important or the patients

treatment and recovery.

How can I learn more?Sta is available to answer questions. In addition,

askforaMcLeanHospitalpublicationcalledGuide

to Inpatient Care at McLean Hospital or view it

atwww.mcleanhospital.org.ThisGuideprovides

answers to many questions that you may have

and presents a lot o inormation that you may

nd helpul.

F

orFamiliesand

Friends


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115 Mill Street :: Belmont, MA:: 02478 :: www.mcleanhospital.org :: 800.333.0338

0398 08 2012

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Guide to Arriving at McLean