Frequently Asked Questions

Will there be family counseling sessions?
Yes, in most cases. For children and adolescent patients under the age of 18, family counseling sessions are usually scheduled with the parent/legal guardian at the time of admission and are typically held three or four days after admission. Additional sessions maybe held every three or four days thereafter.

For adult patients, 18 years of age or older, family counseling sessions are usually scheduled with immediate family within three or four days after admission, and as needed thereafter. However, please note that a patient 18 years of age or older must give written consent for family to be contacted and chooses who will participate in the family counseling sessions.

Family counseling sessions typically focus on the patient’s immediate reason for hospitalization, patient safety after discharge, and discharge/follow up care arrangements.

What if the family lives far away from the hospital?
In such case in which it is impossible for the family to be present, family counseling sessions can be conducted by speakerphone at a schedule time.

Will I meet with or speak to my child’s/family member’s physician?
In many cases the physician will contact family. However, most contact will be with the case manager working with the physician. You may contact the case manager assigned or the unit nursing staff for questions and updates about your family member. But please remember, you must have the patient ID number provided to you at admission when calling, or they will be unable to disclose any information to you.

Why will no one at the hospital talk to me about my family member?
The law requires that all adult patients 18 years of age or older must give written authorization for staff to provide any information about their hospitalization, care, and treatment to anyone, even family members. The only exceptions are when there is a court appointed legal guardian (and the hospital has been given copies of the court documents), and active duty military (information is provided to the service member’s chain of command).

For minors, under the age of 18, the parent or legal guardian authorizes the release of any information. However, in cases of divorce or separation, both parents have the right to information about a child’s treatment unless a court has formally terminated parental rights.

What arrangements are made for follow up care when a patient leaves the hospital?
Staff make every effort to arrange and schedule follow up care with the patient’s existing care providers. When a patient has no existing providers, staff assist with arranging appropriate follow up mental health treatment and medication management. However, if the patient is an adult, they must give authorization for staff to arrange follow up care.

Also, the type of follow up care often depends to a great degree on the patient’s insurance coverage and resources. Additional information can be made available in regards to educational and support agencies, living arrangements, etc.

My family member was sent to the hospital from another part of the State, does the hospital provide transportation for them to come home?
The hospital does not provide transportation services. However, in situations when it is impossible for the family to pick up the patient at the time of discharge, we do assist the patient and their family to arrange transportation through available resources such as the State Medicaid transport office. We also provide information on bus and local cab services available to the patient and their family.

Why is my family member being discharged so soon?
Brentwood Hospital is an acute care (short term) facility. The State of Louisiana makes no provisions for long term psychiatric inpatient or residential treatment. Also, most insurance companies do not cover long term or residential treatment. We will make every effort to provide appropriate crisis stabilization and discharge patients to outpatient treatment as soon as possible.

In some cases, a patient may leave treatment prematurely and/or against his/her physician’s medical advice. If an adult patient 18 years of age or older, who admitted themselves voluntarily, submits a request for discharge and upon examination by the physician is determined not to be an immediate danger to self or others, the patient can not be held against their will.

In cases in which the patient is admitted involuntarily on an emergency certificate, the hospital is required to release the patient immediately upon examination by the State appointed physician if that physician determines the patient is not an immediate danger to self or others.

The maximum length of time any patient may be held under an emergency certificate is 15 days.