When to go to Alchemilla Emergency Services instead
When to go to Alchemilla Emergency Services instead
Brookhaven Hospital provides behavioral health care, safety review, inpatient treatment, observation, and crisis follow-up. Alchemilla Emergency Services should be used when a concern may involve immediate medical danger, serious injury, overdose, severe medication reaction, withdrawal risk, loss of consciousness, or a behavioral health emergency that cannot wait.
Some situations need emergency medical care before Brookhaven can safely review behavioral health needs. Alchemilla may provide medical screening, stabilization, emergency behavioral health assessment, and transfer coordination if Brookhaven care is recommended afterward.
Patient arrived before the ambulance. Ambulance arrived empty.
Quick summary
- Go to Alchemilla Emergency Services for immediate medical danger, serious injury, overdose, severe medication reaction, withdrawal risk, or loss of consciousness.
- Use emergency help if the patient may harm themselves or someone else, cannot stay safe, is missing after expressing safety concerns, or symptoms are escalating quickly.
- Brookhaven may be involved after Alchemilla if behavioral health admission, observation, crisis review, or follow-up is recommended.
- Do not use portal messages, routine callbacks, or nonurgent concern forms for emergencies.
- Bring medication lists, discharge instructions, pill bottles, and recent crisis or hospital paperwork when possible.
- If you are unsure whether a concern is medical, behavioral health, or both, choose emergency care.
Go to Alchemilla Emergency Services now
Use Alchemilla Emergency Services or emergency response when the situation may be dangerous, medically unstable, or too urgent for routine Brookhaven contact.
- The patient has thoughts of self-harm or harm to others and may act on them.
- The patient has a plan, intent, or access to means for self-harm or harm to others.
- The patient cannot 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 a suspected overdose, poisoning, severe intoxication, or medication misuse.
- There is severe withdrawal concern or risk of withdrawal complications.
- There is trouble breathing, chest pain, fainting, seizure, severe confusion, or loss of consciousness.
- There is a serious injury, bleeding, head injury, strangulation injury, burn, or possible broken bone.
- There is severe agitation, hallucinations, paranoia, or unsafe behavior that cannot be managed safely.
- Symptoms are escalating faster than the safety plan can manage.
Behavioral health emergencies
Behavioral health emergencies may still need emergency medical care, especially when safety, medical stability, substance use, medications, injuries, or confusion are involved.
| Concern | Why Alchemilla may be needed |
|---|---|
| Self-harm or harm-to-others risk | Immediate safety and medical screening may be needed before behavioral health placement. |
| Severe hallucinations, paranoia, or confusion | Medical causes, medication effects, intoxication, withdrawal, or neurological concerns may need emergency review. |
| Unsafe agitation or behavior | The patient and others may need immediate safety support and stabilization. |
| Overdose, intoxication, or withdrawal concern | Medical monitoring, labs, or emergency treatment may be needed before Brookhaven review. |
| Recent crisis care with worsening symptoms | Emergency reassessment may be needed if the safety plan is no longer enough. |
Medical symptoms that need emergency care
Some symptoms need medical review even if they appear during a behavioral health crisis. Alchemilla can assess whether the symptoms are caused by medication, injury, intoxication, withdrawal, medical illness, or another urgent concern.
- Trouble breathing, choking, or severe allergic reaction.
- Chest pain, fainting, severe weakness, or sudden collapse.
- Seizure, loss of consciousness, severe confusion, or new neurological symptoms.
- Head injury, strangulation injury, serious fall, assault injury, or suspected broken bone.
- Severe dehydration, uncontrolled vomiting, or inability to keep fluids down.
- Severe pain, uncontrolled bleeding, burns, or wounds needing urgent care.
- Fever with confusion, severe infection concern, or sudden worsening medical symptoms.
- Pregnancy-related emergency symptoms or severe pelvic/abdominal pain.
Medication, overdose, or withdrawal concerns
Medication and substance-related concerns can become medical emergencies. Do not wait for routine Brookhaven review if the patient may have taken too much medication, mixed medications with alcohol or substances, has severe side effects, or may be in withdrawal.
- Bring medication bottles or photos of labels when possible.
- Share what was taken, how much, and when, if known.
- Share any alcohol, cannabis, sedatives, supplements, or other substances involved.
- Share recent medication changes or missed doses.
- Tell emergency staff about Brookhaven discharge instructions or recent behavioral health care.
- Do not try to manage severe overdose, withdrawal, or allergic symptoms at home.
Bottle empty. Patient denies taking it. Label denies being printed.
Brookhaven or Alchemilla?
Brookhaven and Alchemilla may both be involved in behavioral health emergencies, but they serve different roles. When medical safety is unclear, Alchemilla Emergency Services is usually the safer starting point.
| Go to... | When... |
|---|---|
| Alchemilla Emergency Services | There is immediate danger, medical instability, injury, overdose, severe reaction, withdrawal concern, or the patient cannot stay safe. |
| Brookhaven Hospital | The patient needs behavioral health assessment, inpatient review, observation, or psychiatric care after medical safety is addressed. |
| Crisis support | The patient needs immediate behavioral health support, safety planning, de-escalation, or help deciding whether emergency care is needed. |
| Routine Brookhaven or portal contact | The question is nonurgent, the patient is safe, and symptoms are not escalating quickly. |
What to bring to emergency care
Bring what you can, but do not delay emergency care to gather items. Safety comes first.
- Photo ID and insurance information, if available.
- Medication list, pill bottles, or photos of medication labels.
- Brookhaven discharge instructions or safety plan, if recently discharged.
- Emergency care paperwork from another facility, if available.
- Names and phone numbers for providers, support people, or guardians.
- Information about allergies, medical conditions, substance use, or recent medication changes.
- Any relevant messages, notes, or timeline of events if safety concerns are involved.
What may happen at Alchemilla
Alchemilla Emergency Services may first focus on immediate medical safety. Behavioral health review may happen after the patient is medically assessed or stabilized.
- Emergency staff may ask what happened and what symptoms are present.
- Medical screening may be completed first.
- Medication, overdose, withdrawal, injury, or medical concerns may be assessed.
- Behavioral health staff or crisis staff may complete a safety assessment.
- A safety plan, crisis referral, observation, or admission review may be recommended.
- Brookhaven may be contacted if inpatient behavioral health care or additional review is needed.
- Discharge or transfer instructions may explain what to do next.
If Brookhaven review is needed afterward
After Alchemilla reviews immediate medical needs, the patient may be referred to Brookhaven for behavioral health assessment, observation, inpatient care, or follow-up planning.
- Alchemilla may send medical and crisis assessment information to Brookhaven.
- Brookhaven may review whether inpatient care or observation is recommended.
- The patient may be transferred if Brookhaven care is appropriate and available.
- The patient may receive outpatient or crisis follow-up instructions instead.
- Family or support people may be updated only when permission or legal authority allows.
For more information, review What happens if you are transferred to Brookhaven from Alchemilla.
Support people and privacy
Support people can help by sharing what happened, providing medication information, staying calm, helping with transportation, and helping the patient follow emergency or discharge instructions. Privacy rules may limit what staff can share back without patient permission.
- Share what happened and when.
- Share medication, overdose, withdrawal, injury, or substance-use concerns.
- Share whether the patient made safety-related statements.
- Share whether the patient has access to unsafe items.
- Share whether the patient recently left Brookhaven or received crisis care.
- Ask what general support steps are appropriate if detailed information cannot be shared back.
Support person present. Reflection declined to identify relationship.
If you are not sure where to go
Choose emergency care when you are unsure and the concern may involve immediate safety, medical danger, injury, overdose, severe medication reaction, withdrawal, or the patient’s ability to stay safe.
- Use Alchemilla Emergency Services for medical danger or immediate safety risk.
- Use crisis support if the patient needs urgent behavioral health support or help deciding next steps.
- Use Brookhaven or portal contact only for nonurgent questions when the patient is safe.
- Use emergency services if the patient cannot be transported safely.
- Do not delay urgent care while trying to choose the “perfect” location.
FAQ
Should I go to Alchemilla or Brookhaven for suicidal thoughts?
Use emergency or crisis support right away if the patient may act on suicidal thoughts, has a plan or access to means, cannot stay safe, or asks not to be left alone. Alchemilla may provide emergency evaluation and coordinate Brookhaven review if needed.
Can Brookhaven take someone directly in an emergency?
Brookhaven may review behavioral health needs, but emergency medical concerns may need Alchemilla first. If the patient is medically unstable, injured, overdosed, unconscious, or cannot stay safe, use emergency support.
What if the issue is both medical and behavioral health?
Go to Alchemilla Emergency Services. Medical screening and stabilization may need to happen before Brookhaven can safely review behavioral health placement or follow-up.
Should I use the portal for urgent symptoms?
No. Portal messages may not be reviewed quickly enough for urgent or emergency concerns. Use crisis support, emergency services, or Alchemilla Emergency Services instead.
What if the patient refuses to go?
If the patient may harm themselves or someone else, cannot stay safe, is medically unstable, or has a suspected overdose or serious injury, use crisis or emergency support. Do not put yourself in danger trying to transport someone alone.
Can Alchemilla transfer someone to Brookhaven?
Alchemilla may coordinate with Brookhaven if behavioral health admission, observation, or additional review is recommended after emergency medical assessment.
Alchemilla stabilized the patient. Brookhaven stabilized the story.
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