The majority of patients enter the Center for the Deaf on a mental health commitment due to dangerousness to themselves or others, while others are screened for voluntary admission by hospital staff. A multi-disciplinary team provides a biopsychosocial assessment for each patient. This assessment addresses the physical, emotional, behavioral, social, recreational, legal, vocational, spiritual, and nutritional needs of the patients. Departmental standards require a physical, psychiatric evaluation, nursing, social history, and rehabilitation assessment. Psychological, educational and vocational assessments, as well as special assessments for neurological deficits, are provided as deemed necessary by the treatment team.
Treatment planning is based on the assessment of identified needs and problems.
Major treatment modalities include psychotropic medication, a full range of psychosocial interventions, and specialized interventions for physical and organic dysfunction, the physical environment, behavioral management, and the use of treatment milieu. Centralized ASH programs, including Vocational Rehabilitation, Recreational Rehabilitation, Chaplaincy, and Patient Education, are utilized to individualize and enhance the program for Center for the Deaf patients. Treatment planning is an ongoing process of evaluating patient s response to treatment and identifying problems that may emerge in the treatment process, triggering further reassessments and alterations of treatment plans to continue to provide individualized treatment. The Center for the Deaf refers patients to various hospital-wide programs and to programs in the community where appropriate. Any required referral policies are followed.