Patients are admitted to Patrick B. Harris Psychiatric Hospital for the treatment of various forms of mental illness. Sometimes this mental illness may cause a patient to behave in such a way that is potentially harmful to himself/herself or others in our facility. We are committed to preventing such harm, while continually providing a safe treatment environment for all of our patients and staff.

     In the event a patient's behavior presents an imminent risk of harm to himself/herself and/or others, it is our policy that the following interventions will be ATTEMPTED FIRST:

Verbal/Structural De-escalation: the patient should discuss your thoughts and feelings with staff, and utilize the discussion to vent any feelings of depression, anxiety, anger, and/or frustration

Request/Accept Medication : the patient should respect the benefits of his/her medication regimen, and any medication adjustment(s) that may be administered by staff

     In the event the above interventions are not helpful to the patient, our staff may initiate an emergency measure (physical intervention) to insure safety. These emergency measures, such as seclusion or restraint, will be explained to the patient by his/her nurse and/or physician on the lodge.

      If the patient desires, his/her family/guardian will be notified if any emergency measure is ever initiated, unless your physician determines it is clinically contraindicated to do so.

As stated in the mission of our facility, our constant goal is to “provide care with the least amount of patient restriction and maximum opportunities for growth and healing.”