MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE'S LIVES

Client Rights

PURPOSE: The purpose of this rule is to protect and enhance the rights of persons applying for or receiving mental health services by establishing specific rights of clients and procedures for responsive and impartial resolution of client grievances and any complaints about alleged violations of their rights relating to protected health information (PHI).

POLICY: The rights of the person served will be shared with teh client prior to the begining of service delivery and/or at the initiation of service delivery and ANNUALLY for persons in the program longer than one year. The annual review will be conducted at the time that the annual Individual Service Plan is reviewed with the client. The completion of the annual clients rights review shall be documented in the chart.

Each client receiving counseling services from Pathways has the following rights:

• The right to be treated with consideration and respect for personal dignity, autonomy and privacy;
• The right to service in a humane setting which is in the least restrictive feasible as defined in the treatment plan;
• The right to be informed of one's own condition and proposed or current services, treatment or therapies, and of the alternatives;
• The right to be informed of available program services;
• The right to give consent to or refuse any service, treatment or therapy upon full explanation of the expected physical, medical and/or agency consequence of such consent or refusal;
• The right to a current, written, individualized service plan that addresses one's own mental health, physical health, and social and economic needs, and which specifies the provision of appropriate and adequate services, as available, either directly or by referral;
• The right to active and informed participation in the establishment, periodic review and re-assessment of the service plan, and to receive a copy of it;
• The right or freedom from unnecessary or excessive medication;
• The right to freedom from unncessary physical restraint or seclusion;
• The right to participate in an appropriate and available agency service, regardless of refusal of one or more other services, treatments, or therapies, or regardless of relapse from earlier treatment in that or other service, unless there is a valid and specific necessity which precludes and/or requires the client's participation in other services. This necessity shall be explained to the client and written in the client's current service plan;
• The right to be informed and the right to refuse any unusual or hazardous treatment procedures;
• The right to be advised and the right to refuse observation by others and techniques such as one-way mirrors, tape recorders, video recorders, television, movies or photographs;
• The right to consult with an independent treatment specialist or legal counsel at one's own expense;
• The right to confidentiality of communications and of all personally identifying information within the limitations and requirements for disclosure of various funding and/or certifying sources, under state and federal statutes, unless release of information is specifically authorized by the client or parent or guardian of a minor client or court-appointed guardian of the person of an adult in acdcordance with Rule 5122:2-3-11 of the Administrative Code;
• The right to have access to information in any agency record pertaining to one's self only, unless access to particular, identified items of information is specifically restricted for that individual client for clear treatment reasons. Clear treatment reasons shall be understood to mean only severe emotional damage to the client such that dangerous or self-injurious behavior is an imminent risk. The person restricting the information shall explain to the client and other persons authorized by the client, the factual information about the individual client that necessitates the restriction. The restriction must be renewed at least annually to retain validity. Any person authorized by the client has unrestricted access to all information. Clients shall be informed in writing of agency policy and procedure for viewing or obtaining copies of personal records;
• The right to be informed in advance of the reason(s) for discontinuation of service provision, and to be involved in planning for the consequence of the event;
• The right to receive an explanation of the reasons for denial of service;
• The right not to be discriminated against for receiving service on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, color, religion, race, sex, national origin, disability, or HIV infection, whether a-symptomatic or symptomatic, or AIDS;
• The right to know the cost of services;
• The right to be fully informed of all client rights;
• The right to exercise one's own rights without reprisal in any form including continued and uncompromised access to service;
• The right to file a grievance; and
• The right to have oral and written instructions concerning the procedure for filing a grievance.

Pathways Clients Rights Policy

Clients have additional rights as they relate to their PHI as follows:

• The right to access their designated record set;
• The right to request restrictions on uses or disclosures of their PHI;
• The right to request that communications related to PHI be confidential; and
• The right to request amendment of their designated record set.

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Contact us: pathwayscounselingctr@yahoo.com

We are a proud member of the Mental Health Network of Lorain County.