Carrier Clinic Patient and Visitor Information
If there is a psychiatric emergency, and your loved one is taken to the ER or Psychiatric Emergency Screening Services (PESS) center, an evaluation will be done. If it is determined that your loved one needs to be hospitalized, you may request that the staff call Carrier to arrange for an admission.
Prospective patients, family members and referring professionals can call Carrier Clinic’s Access center for more information or to schedule an evaluation for a possible admission. Carrier Clinic’s Access Center is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and can be reached by calling: 800-933-3579.
If your loved one is already receiving outpatient treatment, a therapist or psychiatrist may call Carrier Clinic to make the referral for inpatient treatment. The procedure for hospital admission for a psychiatric illness resembles the process you would do for a med-surg hospitalization. Often, that means a person’s health insurance company may require a pre-admission certification before agreeing to pay for a hospitalization. Working with the psychiatrist, insurance company staff will review a patient’s case and decide if it requires inpatient care. If so, they will approve admission for a limited hospital stay then periodically review patient progress to determine whether the stay should be extended. If care is denied, the psychiatrist and patient may appeal.
Carrier Clinic provides a list of appropriate items to promote a safe and therapeutic environment. This list is not comprehensive. Other items which could potentially be used in a dangerous way will be evaluated by staff upon admission.
Items that are Appropriate for Admission:
- Clothing-approximately one week’s worth
- Casual Street Clothes (avoid items with drawstrings)
- Limited Toiletries (no glass or mirrors)
- List of Current Medications
- Electric Razor
- Disposable Toothbrush and Toothpaste
- Change/Phone Card
- Hairspray; alcohol free (pump only)
- Soap
- Shampoo/Conditioner
- Limited Make-up (original plastic bottles required)
- Deodorant
- Tampons and Pads
- Insurance Card
- Cash (in amounts up to $150)
Items Not Appropriate for Admission:
- Food/Caffeinated Beverages
- Drugs or Alcohol (this includes toiletries that contain alcohol)
- Perfume/Cologne, Aerosol cans
- Razors or Sharp Items (i.e. nail clippers, tweezers)
- Irons
- Curling Irons, hair dyes, bleaches, curlers or picks
- Weapons of Any Kind (i.e. knives, mace, etc.)
- Wire Hangers (plastic hangers are permitted)
- Revealing Clothing (i.e. tank tops, tight clothing, short skirts / shorts, shirts with alcohol, drug or gambling logos)
- Opened Packs of Cigarettes
- Videos
- Electrical Equipment
- Anything Valuable
- Cell Phones, Pagers, Palm Pilots, Computers, Televisions, Tape Recorders, CD Players, Radio/Tape/MP3 Players, etc.
- Cameras or other recording devices
- Expensive Jewelry
- Any Toxic Material (white-out, glue, etc)
- Cash (in amounts exceeding $150)
Families are encouraged to actively participate in their loved one’s treatment, including getting progress reports. One family member should be designated to call for updates and then have this individual share the information with other family members. Please remember, a Release of Information form must be signed by the patient allowing clinical staff to disclose any information. During normal workday hours, the Clinical Case manager assigned to the patient can assist with this; after 5pm and on weekends, the Nursing Supervisor must be contacted at 908-281-1000.
Release of Information: At the time of admission, patients are able to complete a form that asks them to identify specific individuals (a family member, physician, agency, etc.) who may receive information regarding that patient’s status and treatment.
A complete set of our privacy policy can be found by clicking here.
Important Points to Remember:
If anyone calls Carrier Clinic asking for information about a patient, their presence here will neither be confirmed nor denied. Patients must give written consent to allow your treatment team to release information. Patients are asked to keep confidential the knowledge of the presence of other persons in treatment, both during treatment and after. Visitors are also asked to respect the confidentiality of others here at Carrier Clinic.
A Release of Information form must be signed by the patient allowing clinical staff to disclose any information. During business hours, the Clinical Case manager assigned to the patient can assist with this; after 5 p.m. and on weekends, the Nursing Supervisor must be contacted at 908-281-1000.If no one has contacted you, you may call 908-281-1000 and ask to leave a message for the Physician’s secretary. These messages are always forwarded to the assigned Clinical Case Manager. The Clinical Case Manager can only call you back if the patient has given consent.