As a guest of the Crisis Center, you have the right to:
- Receive considerate, respectful and compassionate care, regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, cultural and personal beliefs, values and preferences or source of payment.
- Receive information in a manner tailored to the patient’s age, language needs and ability to understand. An interpreter, translator or other auxiliary aids, tools or services will be provided to you free of charge. These tools can be provided to a member of your family or support person involved in your care planning or treatment services.
- Participate in the development and implementation of your plan of care.
- Be informed about you diagnosis, condition and treatment in terms that you can understand.
- Be informed about outcomes of care, treatment and services provided, including unanticipated outcomes.
- Refuse care, treatment or services to the extent permitted by law, and to be informed of the possible risks and consequences of the refusal.
- Choose a person to give you emotional support during the course of your care and treatment and/or involve family or others of your choosing to participate in this way.
- Know the names and professional titles of your physicians and caregivers.
- Formulate a medical or mental health advance directive and have it followed within the limits of the law and the organization’s capabilities. We can provide resources that will help you complete an advance directive.
- Be involved in your discharge plan. You can expect to be told in a timely manner of the need for planning your discharge or transfer to another facility or level of care. Before your discharge, you can expect to receive information about follow-up care that you may need.
- Be free from restraint or seclusion, of any form, imposed by staff as a means of coercion, discipline, convenience or retaliation.
- Have your pain assessed and be involved in decisions about managing pain.
- Receive visitors who have full and equal visitation privileges consistent with your preferences and protection of the health and safety of all others at the location. You have the right to withdraw or deny visitation privileges at any time. The Crisis Center does not restrict or deny visitation privileges based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or disability.
- Receive an explanation if we restrict your visitors or telephone calls.
- Access or referral to protective and advocacy services in cases of abuse or neglect.
- Pastoral and other spiritual services. Chaplains are available to help you directly or to contact your clergy.
- File a complaint/grievance regarding the care, treatment or services provided, or denied you, without fear of retribution, and expect a courteous response.
- Privacy and confidentiality relating to your participation in your treatment/program, within the confines of all applicable laws.
- Access to your medical records, request amendment to, and obtain information on disclosures of your health information in accordance with law and regulation.
- Agree or refuse to take part in medical research studies. You may withdraw from a study at any time.
- Agree or refuse to participate in recording or filming, for purposes other than identification or clinical diagnosis/treatment.
- Assistance in exercising your right to vote, while in a residential setting.
- An examination and explanation of your bill, regardless of how it is paid.
- Be informed of public benefits for which you may be eligible. You may contact your local Department of Social Services to apply: Harford County: 410-836-4700; Cecil County: 410-996-0100; Baltimore County: 410-853-3000.
