Patient Rights – AltaPointe Adult Outpatient, Inpatient & Residential
At AltaPointe Health, our goal is to make sure patients receive the quality mental healthcare they need. There should be trust and respect between the patient and those who give that care in order for this to happen. This document will help patients understand what to expect from AltaPointe and what AltaPointe may expect from them.
No patient shall be refused services based upon their inability to pay.
When you are a patient at AltaPointe
Facts about your care
Facts about your medicine
Making decisions about your care
Getting help from others
You have duties too.
Contacts that can assist with questions about your rights
When you are a patient at AltaPointe you have the right to:
- Be treated with respect, dignity and privacy.
- Be treated in a safe and humane place.
- Know the facts about your care, which has been designed just for you.
- Know the facts about your medicine.
- Be told where to get help if you have pain or other medical problems.
- Get help from others.
- Give your written consent for treatment.
Facts about your care. You have the right to be told:
- What your illness is and what the doctor thinks is the best way to treat it.
- How long your treatment will last.
- The cost of your treatment, what part your insurance will pay, and if there are any limits on your treatment.
- The rules about behavior in the program.
Facts about your medicine. You have the right to:
- Take medicine only if ordered by a doctor.
- Be told about your medicine, including information about any side effects that you may expect and how the medicine will help you.
- Refuse to take any medicine, unless your care and treatment has been ordered by the court.
Making decisions about your care. You have the right to:
- Have a treatment plan set up for your needs and to have it reviewed on a regular basis.
- Help plan your treatment and have your family participate, if you want.
- Get your treatment in the place that is the least restrictive for you.
- Refuse any treatment unless it has been ordered by a court.
Getting help from others. You have the right to:
- Get a second opinion, at your expense.
- File a complaint and get an answer to your complaint about services or treatment.
- Talk to an attorney.
- Have contact with the court system.
- Talk to a pastor or minister and to worship in the faith of your choice.
- Access protective services.
- Pray, if you want to.
- Get proper, healthy meals.
- Have your personal belongings and clothing to wear.
- Have visitors, to send or get mail and phone calls in private.
- Not be put into isolation or restrained or put on drugs unless this is a part of your treatment.
- Refuse to do any work that would financially benefit AltaPointe Health.
- Get a free public education if you are of school age.
- See a doctor or dentist and get the health care you need (at your own expense).
- Formulate or have your advanced directive honored.
You have duties too. You should:
- Respect other people.
- Talk to our staff.
- Not touch other people in the wrong way.
- Not run away.
- Not break things.
- Take your medicine.
- Follow the rules.
- Join in activities.
- Do your chores.
- Not hurt other people or fight.
Contacts that can assist with questions about your rights
If you feel that any of your rights have been violated or if you want further information, you may contact the following:
Alabama Department of Mental Health Advocacy Office
(800) 367-0955
Alabama Department of Human Resources
(251) 450-1800
Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program
(800) 826-1675
AltaPointe Health Consumer Needs Department
(251) 450-4303
You may contact the Joint Commission’s Office of Quality Monitoring to report any concerns or register complaints about AltaPointe Health either by calling (800) 994-6610 or e-mailing complaint@jointcommission.org.
You may also call Elder Care at Alabama Department of Public Health in Montgomery/Division of Health Care Facilities to report a complaint and/or to ask questions about your advance directive at (800) 356-9596, Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
