Follow up after receiving emergency behavioral health care

Important: Do not wait for a portal reply, routine callback, or scheduled follow-up if the patient may harm themselves or someone else, cannot stay safe, is missing, has a medical emergency, or symptoms are escalating quickly. Use emergency or crisis support right away.

• Follow-up after emergency behavioral health care helps confirm safety, treatment needs, medication plans, and next steps.
• Use the emergency visit discharge paperwork as the main reference until a provider gives updated instructions.
• Brookhaven may recommend inpatient care, observation, outpatient follow-up, medication review, crisis follow-up, or a higher level of care.
• Schedule follow-up as soon as possible if it was not scheduled before leaving emergency care.
• Support people may help with safety planning, transportation, medication pickup, and appointment scheduling when the patient agrees.
• Seek immediate help if the patient cannot stay safe, symptoms escalate quickly, or there is risk of self-harm or harm to others.

Care setting	What may happen there
Emergency department	Medical and behavioral health assessment, safety evaluation, stabilization, referral, transfer, or discharge planning.
Crisis center or urgent behavioral health clinic	Crisis assessment, safety planning, short-term support, referral, or recommendation for a higher level of care.
Mobile crisis or wellness response	On-site assessment, de-escalation, safety planning, referral, or recommendation for emergency evaluation.
Brookhaven emergency referral	Review for inpatient care, observation, additional assessment, or outpatient safety follow-up.
Transfer from Alchemilla or another facility	Coordination between medical care and behavioral health care when additional review is needed.

1. Read the emergency care discharge or referral paperwork.
2. Confirm whether follow-up was scheduled or still needs to be scheduled.
3. Review the safety plan and warning signs.
4. Confirm medication instructions and pharmacy pickup.
5. Ask who to call if symptoms return before the next appointment.
6. Share the plan with an authorized support person if the patient wants help.
7. Seek immediate help if safety changes before follow-up happens.

• Review whether inpatient care is recommended.
• Review whether observation or additional assessment is needed.
• Help coordinate transfer from another emergency or medical setting.
• Review safety concerns after a recent Brookhaven discharge.
• Clarify medication or discharge instructions after a Brookhaven stay.
• Recommend follow-up care, outpatient treatment, or a higher level of care.
• Document support-person or family concerns when appropriate.

Follow-up type	When it may be recommended
Brookhaven inpatient care	When symptoms, safety concerns, or care needs require hospital-level support.
Observation or additional review	When more time or assessment is needed before deciding the next level of care.
Partial hospitalization or intensive outpatient care	When structured treatment is needed but inpatient care is not required or is no longer required.
Outpatient therapy or psychiatry	When symptoms can be managed with scheduled follow-up, medication review, and support planning.
Primary care or medical follow-up	When physical health, labs, medication interactions, substance-related concerns, or medical symptoms need review.
Crisis follow-up or wellness check	When short-term safety contact is recommended after the emergency visit.

• Warning signs that symptoms are returning.
• Coping steps to try first.
• People the patient agrees to contact.
• When to call a provider, crisis line, urgent care, or emergency services.
• Medication safety steps and safe storage guidance.
• Items or situations that should be secured or avoided.
• Transportation and support if the patient needs urgent care again.
• What to do if the patient cannot stay safe alone.

• Confirm which medications should be taken now.
• Confirm which medications were stopped or changed.
• Confirm where prescriptions were sent.
• Ask when the next dose is due.
• Ask what side effects need urgent review.
• Ask who manages refills before the next appointment.
• Call the pharmacy if label instructions do not match the discharge paperwork.
• Seek urgent help for severe, sudden, allergic, unsafe, or medically concerning symptoms.

Important: A support person can share safety concerns with Brookhaven or another provider, but the care team may not be able to share patient details back unless the patient has authorized it or legal authority applies.

• Help review discharge or crisis-care instructions.
• Help schedule follow-up care.
• Help with transportation to appointments.
• Help pick up medication or confirm pharmacy instructions.
• Help reduce access to unsafe items if this is part of the safety plan.
• Offer calm check-ins without overwhelming the patient.
• Know when to use crisis or emergency support.

• Ask for a copy of discharge or referral instructions.
• Ask where follow-up records will be sent.
• Ask whether Brookhaven needs records from the emergency visit.
• Ask whether a release or authorization is needed.
• Ask whether support people can receive any paperwork.
• Bring emergency visit paperwork to the next follow-up appointment.

1. Use the safety plan first.
2. Move to a safer environment if possible.
3. Contact a support person if the patient agreed to that step.
4. Contact the follow-up provider if symptoms are returning.
5. Contact crisis or urgent support if symptoms are escalating.
6. Use emergency services if the patient cannot stay safe.

Use immediate help instead of routine follow-up if the patient may not be able to stay safe or the situation could become dangerous.

• The patient has thoughts of self-harm or harm to others.
• The patient has a plan, intent, or access to means for self-harm or harm to others.
• The patient feels unable to stay safe or asks not to be left alone.
• The patient is missing, has left unexpectedly, or cannot be contacted after expressing safety concerns.
• There is severe confusion, hallucinations, paranoia, agitation, or unsafe behavior.
• There is a suspected overdose, severe medication reaction, withdrawal concern, or medical emergency.
• Medication is unavailable and missing it could create immediate safety or medical risk.
• Symptoms are escalating faster than the safety plan can manage.

Use the crisis or emergency instructions listed in the discharge plan. If there is immediate danger, use emergency services.