Your treatment will be provided by a treatment team. This group of professionals and paraprofessionals includes psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, registered nurses, therapists, mental health workers, and recreation specialists. They work collaboratively with you to integrate important aspects of your treatment. The treatment team will also coordinate your treatment with your outpatient treatment providers.
All patients receive a physical examination shortly after admission. This exam, along with your routine medical care, is provided by our Health Services Department. Health Services is staffed by Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants and an infection control nurse.
In the event of a serious medical problem, patients will be seen at the nearest Emergency Room, and if medically necessary, may be admitted to that hospital. In such an event, staff from Four Winds will work with the hospital staff to assure that you have a comprehensive treatment plan that encompasses both your medical and mental health needs.
Four Winds follows all CDC guidelines and protocols related to Covid-19. Patients coming from an emergency room, congregate setting, with history of community exposure or returning from foreign travel (within 14 days of admission) are required to test prior to admission. Patients are monitored for symptoms twice daily. If any patient tests positive for Covid, they will be removed from the patient community. Patients identified as having been exposed will be required to wear a face mask for the next 10 days and will be receiving a series of tests following exposure. If you/your child are identified as an exposure, you will be notified by a member of you/your child’s clinical team. New admissions being admitted to a unit where there has been a Covid exposure will be required to wear a face mask until the 10 day period has ended.
A psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner will assess you to determine whether you would benefit from taking medication during and after your stay at Four Winds. The prescriber recommending medication for you will discuss the possible benefits, side effects and any other questions that you may have regarding your medication(s). A patient education/information flyer is available for all medications prescribed at Four Winds. You or a parent/guardian (for minors) will be required to give consent prior to receiving any medications.
Family input is an integral component of our treatment approach. As part of treatment planning, the patient, family and treatment team will develop the goals and objectives of treatment together. Over the course of treatment, the treatment team will consistently communicate with you and your family about progress towards goals and targets for discharge.
Link to Sample Schedule - Child Inpatient Unit (Catlin)
Link to Sample Schedule - Adolescent Inpatient Unit (Polaris)
Link to Sample Schedule - Adolescent Inpatient Unit (Freshwater)
Link to Sample Schedule - Adult Inpatient Unit (Ferndell)
Link to Sample Schedule - Adult Inpatient Unit (Hathorn)
You should bring enough clothing to last for several days, but are cautioned not to bring too much. Socially appropriate clothing is expected to be worn at all times. You should bring:
To ensure a safe and substance-free environment, you and your belongings will be searched by staff upon admission and at the discretion of the staff. Items that should not be brought include:
* Hair dryers and disposable razors will be provided to adult patients by the hospital. Not permitted on child/adolescent units.
Although meals and snacks are provided by the hospital, a family member is welcome to bring additional items for use by you and them during their visit. Since other patients may have food allergies or dietary restrictions, we ask that you bring food for your family member only and that you check with the Nursing Staff to see if there are any food restrictions of which you may not be aware. No food delivery such as Uber Eats is allowed for patients. Please do not order food for your family member.
All approved visitors are welcome at Four Winds Hospitals for visits with patients. Visiting in-person is by appointment only. For the comfort of our patients, we request that visits be limited to two persons for a maximum of one hour at a time unless alternate arrangements have been made in advance. Each patient may have two visits of one hour per week (one during the week and another on the weekend). For child and adolescent patients, visitors are limited to parents or legal guardians. For child and adolescent patients that require parents or legal guardians to have separate visiting times, each parent or legal guardian will be allotted two visits a week. Kindly check in at the nursing station prior to beginning your visit to obtain your visitor identification tag. No children are permitted as visitors. Thank you for your cooperation.
Unfortunately, we are not able to accept any packages for patients. Please do not order and ship any package to the hospital. If your family member needs something specific please ask the therapist for assistance. We appreciate your cooperation.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides protections for those individuals with service animals. A service animal means any dog that is specifically trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. The work or tasks performed by the service animal must be directly related to the person’s disability. Emotional support and comfort animals of any species are not recognized as service animals and will not be permitted at the hospital. Service animals are welcome.
Each patient has the right, within the law, to personal privacy and privacy of information. Patient information is discreetly shared within the treatment team. Written consent is required prior to having information shared with other individuals, including schools and outside therapists.
On some units, cameras are used in common areas as a secondary means of observation. These cameras are solely used for monitoring and safety purposes and do not record.
Each child and adolescent attends school every day, during the school year, as part of their daily program. The Learning Center has individualized, or small group instruction and is conducted in self-contained classrooms. The education team works with the home school district to make sure that each student gets credit for the schoolwork that is completed here. With written permission, regular contact with the in-home teacher, the home-district teacher, guidance counselor and school administrators ensures educational continuity. You will be asked to sign a consent to facilitate this. If you choose not to provide this consent, you will be billed for the educational services your child receives.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE LEARNING CENTER
Periodically, there will be fire drills. These fire drills may occur at any time of the day or night. If this happens, please exit the building from the closest door and walk to your unit’s designated area and wait for staffs’ direction. Staff will review the policy for evacuation with you at the time of admission. Often, there are many things told to you in admission. If you are unsure or if you don’t know this information, please ask.
We all function in a multitude of roles every day: as husbands or wives, sons or daughters, sisters or brothers, church members, employees and friends, among others. One role we all may find ourselves in from time to time is that of patient.
People with serious illness also function in a variety of life roles. They, too, are sons, daughters, husbands, wives, parents, employees, neighbors, and friends. During times of acute mental illness, the role of patient may be a dominant one. At other times, the major symptoms are under control; residual symptoms may remain, and there is a need to continue treatment and monitor the illness, but other roles can play a larger part.
As with all other life roles, there are rights and responsibilities when one is a patient.
Rights:
Responsibilities:
For your convenience, the “Notice to Patients – General Statement of the Rights of Patients” is clearly posted on each unit.
30 Crescent Avenue
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Phone: 518-584-3600
Toll-Free: 1-800-888-5448
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