Request help from staff during an inpatient stay

Best first step: Start with the nearest staff member, your assigned nurse, the nurses’ station, or the staff member completing safety checks. Use direct staff contact for inpatient needs instead of sending a portal message.

• Ask staff directly if you need help during an inpatient stay.
• Use the nearest staff member, assigned nurse, nurses’ station, group leader, or safety-check staff.
• Tell staff immediately if you feel unsafe, physically worse, overwhelmed, confused, panicked, or unable to stay in control.
• Ask before taking, refusing, skipping, or changing any medication if you are unsure what it is.
• Ask for interpreter, accessibility, mobility, sensory, or communication support when needed.
• Do not use the portal or a ticket request for urgent needs while you are on the unit.

Concern	Ask for help when
Safety	You feel like you may hurt yourself, hurt someone else, leave the unit unsafely, or cannot stay in control.
Symptoms	Mood, anxiety, panic, agitation, hallucinations, paranoia, confusion, trauma symptoms, cravings, or withdrawal symptoms get worse.
Medication	You do not recognize a medication, feel side effects, missed a dose, vomited after a dose, or think a medication is wrong.
Physical health	You feel faint, have chest pain, trouble breathing, severe pain, fever, injury, vomiting, allergic symptoms, or sudden weakness.
Unit needs	You need help with bathroom access, showering, mobility, meals, belongings, phone access, visitors, schedule changes, or a quieter space.

1. Tell the nearest staff member what you need.
2. Use the call button or unit-approved request method if one is available.
3. Go to the nurses’ station or approved staff desk if you are allowed to move there safely.
4. Tell the staff member completing safety checks that you need help.
5. Ask the group leader, activity staff, or Day Room staff for help if you are in a shared space.
6. Ask for your assigned nurse, charge nurse, care team, social worker, patient advocate, or rights representative if the concern needs more review.

Staff contact	Can help with
Nearest staff member	Immediate help, safety concerns, directions, and getting the right person.
Assigned nurse	Medication questions, symptoms, side effects, physical concerns, safety, and care-plan questions.
Behavioral health technician or unit staff	Daily routine, observation checks, unit access, belongings questions, group directions, and immediate staff support.
Social worker or case manager	Discharge planning, support people, transportation, follow-up appointments, records, and community resources.
Charge nurse, patient advocate, or rights representative	Escalated concerns, rights questions, unresolved requests, privacy concerns, or questions about admission status.

Tell staff immediately if you feel unsafe, feel like you may hurt yourself or someone else, feel like leaving the unit unsafely, feel unable to stay in control, or feel too overwhelmed to wait.

• Say “I do not feel safe” or “I need help now.”
• Go to the nearest staff member or nurses’ station if you are allowed to move safely.
• Use the call button or unit-approved request method if one is available.
• Tell the staff member completing safety checks that the concern is urgent.
• If you are with a support person or visitor, ask them to alert staff immediately.

• Ask what the medication is before taking it if you do not recognize it.
• Tell staff if you think a medication, dose, time, or allergy is wrong.
• Tell staff if you feel dizzy, sedated, restless, nauseated, confused, shaky, itchy, short of breath, or otherwise different after a medication.
• Tell staff if you missed a dose, vomited after a dose, or took outside medication before admission.
• Tell staff if you are worried about withdrawal, cravings, or interactions with alcohol, cannabis, sedatives, opioids, stimulants, supplements, or other substances.
• Ask who manages medication changes and when the prescriber will review your plan.

Tell staff immediately if you have chest pain, trouble breathing, fainting, severe dizziness, severe headache, sudden weakness, severe allergic symptoms, uncontrolled vomiting, injury, possible overdose, severe withdrawal, or a sudden change in confusion or alertness.

• Ask for an interpreter or communication support.
• Ask for mobility support, accessible bathroom support, or help reaching approved areas.
• Ask for sensory support, lower-stimulation space, larger print, written instructions, or repeated instructions.
• Tell staff if observation checks, bathroom support, shared spaces, or group activities feel distressing or triggering.
• Ask who can receive updates about your care and who cannot.
• Ask for a patient advocate, charge nurse, rights representative, or supervisor if you feel your concern is not being heard.

• Ask when meals, medications, groups, quiet hours, phone access, and visiting hours happen.
• Ask whether you may use the Day Room, group room, hallway, bathroom, shower, or phone independently.
• Ask whether observation level changes where you can go.
• Ask where your belongings are stored and when they can be returned.
• Ask before using chargers, electronics, writing tools, art supplies, hygiene items, or personal items.
• Ask what to do if a schedule change makes you confused, upset, or unsafe.

1. Repeat the request to the nearest staff member.
2. Say whether the concern is urgent, safety-related, medical, medication-related, or can wait.
3. Ask for your assigned nurse if you have not spoken with them.
4. Ask for the charge nurse if the concern is unresolved or feels unsafe.
5. Ask for the patient advocate, rights representative, or supervisor if you need help understanding your options.
6. If you feel unsafe, use clear language: “This is urgent. I do not feel safe.”

• Tell staff who you want involved.
• Tell staff what that person may receive updates about.
• Ask whether the person can join a care-team conversation, discharge-planning call, or family meeting.
• Ask whether visitor access or phone access is affected by your observation level or unit rules.
• Ask staff what can still remain private.

• Tell the overnight staff if you cannot sleep, feel unsafe, feel physically unwell, or have medication concerns.
• Ask how to request help during quiet hours.
• Ask whether a nurse, on-call clinician, or prescriber can be contacted if needed.
• Ask what comfort, grounding, or low-stimulation options are available overnight.
• Ask staff to explain overnight observation checks if they are distressing or confusing.

If you are not currently on a Brookhaven unit and there is immediate danger, do not wait for a portal reply or future appointment.

• Use emergency services if there is immediate danger.
• Call or text 988 in the U.S. for suicide prevention, crisis intervention, or emotional distress support.
• Use 988 Lifeline chat if chat is safer or easier than calling.