You are not alone. 1 in every 4 persons experience a mental health or addiction crisis during their life, meaning virtually everyone and every family has been impacted at some point by the challenges those mental health and addiction challenges bring. Parents, you may not know that roughly half of all lifetime mental disorders in most studies start by the mid-teens, and three quarters by the mid-20s.
As a family member or friend of someone in need of psychiatric hospitalization, getting your loved one help, knowing what happens during a hospital stay and understanding the importance of the discharge plan when they return home to their community and ongoing resources can be the difference between life and death. Your loved one needs your support, and to be there for them. Visitors play a very important role in patients’ life and recovery and are highly encouraged to connect with loved ones during their time at West Springs.
Some people prefer to keep their medical conditions private – even from their closest family members – and this personal choice is supported by The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
How does the HIPAA Privacy Rule protecting patients work?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law that required the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient’s consent or knowledge. HIPAA Privacy Rule standards address the use and disclosure of individuals’ health information (known as “protected health information”) and also contain standards for individuals’ rights to understand and control how their health information is used. by entities subject to the Privacy Rule.
What this means is that the patient gets to decide who has access to information in their health records, including even just confirming whether or not they are a patient the hospital. If you seek information on a person who has asked West Springs Hospital not to disclose it please understand we are protecting the patient’s rights and respecting their choice.
