BHcare Client Rights & Responsibilities

BHcare provides services to clients on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to gender, age, race, national origin, cultural background, religion, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, or financial resources.

Staff of BHcare pledge to provide you with considerate, courteous, and competent care tailored to your special needs. You can expect to be fully informed of your rights as a client at time of admission to BHcare.

We believe that as a client, you are entitled to certain rights to protect your dignity, privacy and individuality. These rights are consistent with laws of the State of Connecticut and policies set forth by the Department of Mental Health and Addictions Services. They are summarized and guaranteed as follows:

  1. You have the right to expect humane and considerate treatment at all times, with full respect for your personal dignity and privacy.
  2. You have the right to freedom from physical or mental abuse or harm.
  3. You are entitled to receive services in accordance with a specialized treatment plan designed to meet your individual needs. You can expect to participate in the planning of your treatment.
  4. You are entitled to complete and current information concerning your diagnosis, treatment plan and progress in terms you can understand. You have a right to participate in decisions affecting your care.
  5. You will be fully informed if your rights are restricted in any way, or changed as the result of behavioral contracts, and you will be advised of what needs to be done to have restrictions removed or a behavioral contract no longer in effect. You will receive a copy of the contract or written notification of restrictions and corresponding expectations.
  6. You have the right to expect that discussions between yourself and staff will be kept private. All information placed in your record will be maintained in strictest confidence and cannot be given to any other person or agency without your written consent, except for the following reasons (excerpted from Connecticut General Statute Section 52-146 d-j):
    • Communication may be disclosed to others engaged in diagnosis or treatment of patient or to another mental health facility to which patient is admitted for diagnosis or treatment; patient shall be so informed.
    • If psychiatrist determines there is substantial risk of imminent physical injury or when psychiatrist in course diagnosis or treatment finds disclosure necessary to place patient in a mental facility.
    • Name, address and fees for service (only) may be disclosed to agency or individual involved in collection of fees.
      In civil proceeding in which patient introduces his mental condition as defense.
    • In civil proceeding after patient’s death when condition is introduced and court or judge determines that disclosure is more important to interests of justice than patient/psychiatrist relationship.
    • Persons engaged in research may have access to communications records needed for such research, provided research plan has been submitted to and approved by director of facility, but may not remove them from the facility except by coded data, which does not identify patient.
    • Commissioner of Mental Health and Addictions Services may collect and use information and records from any mental health facility for admission, planning or research, provided that identifiable data is removed before information and records are transmitted from that facility.
    • You are entitled to receive information about fees and payments for services as well as explanation of your bill regardless of how it is to be paid.
    • You have the right to express concerns about services, policies, or staff. If you experience a problem, or feel your rights have been violated, you may ask to speak with the agency Client Rights Officer. All grievances will be responded to within a reasonable period of time.

Responsibilities as a client are as follows:

  1. To treat others with courtesy and respect.
  2. To participate in recovery planning.
  3. To attend all appointments or give notice of cancellation.
  4. To pay fees that you have agreed to.
  5. To respect the privacy of other clients of BHcare.
  6. To not bring illicit drugs or alcohol to any BHcare program.
  7. To not share prescription medication with any other individual.
  8. To not bring weapons of any kind to any BHcare facility or program.
  9. To not behave in a violent or threatening manner.