Frequently Asked Questions

What to Bring/What Not to Bring for Children

Items Children May Not Have:

Food/drink not provided by the hospital
Aerosol cans, glue, toxic inhalants, nail polish, nail polish remover
Handheld games, cameras, video cameras, MP3 players and recording devices
Cell phones, tablets, computers, electronic equipment
Any tobacco items (including smokeless), matches, lighters
Drugs, alcohol, prescription medications (from home)
Knives, firearms, ammunition, anything that may function as a weapon
Glass items, mirrors
Bar soap
Plastic bags, backpacks, duffel bags, luggage
Spiral notebooks, binders with metal rings
Pens, mechanical pencils, markers

Items Children May Not Wear:

Tank tops, sleeveless shirts, low-cut shirts, midriff shirts
Clothing with symbols, slogans, pictures, or words (e.g., guns, drugs, gang symbols, profanity and skulls)
Sunglasses
Acrylic nails
Yoga pants
Belts
Shoestrings
Hats, head wraps
Clothing that has tears or holes
Jewelry (includes all piercings and watches)
Shorts that show too much leg
Mini skirts, spandex
Clothing worn inside out or backwards
Boots, cowboy boots, hard-tipped boots, combat boots, flip-flops

No items of monetary or sentimental value are allowed on the unit. The hospital is not responsible for lost or stolen items. We cannot be held responsible for items your child has loaned, traded or given to another child.

What to Bring/What not to Bring for Adolescents

Seasonal clothing is recommended for patients while in the hospital. All clothing needs to be in good repair and should not depict gang activities, drugs, alcohol or satanic messages and should not be sexually suggestive, Clothing with strings is not permitted. Patients also need appropriate sleepwear (pajamas, etc). Laundry facilities are located on the unit. Each patient is responsible for doing his/her own laundry. Since storage space is limited, parents/guardians are asked to take suitcases/duffel bags home. Patients are not allowed to borrow, sell or trade their clothing. Valuable articles are not suitable for the hospital as they may be lost, stolen or damaged. Items accidentally left behind after discharge will be held for a period of two weeks and then discarded if not retrieved. Patients will be given a plastic container to store personal hygiene items. These items cannot be over 8 oz. in size in order to fit in the container for storage. Toothbrushes, toothpaste, lotion, deodorant, shampoo/conditioner and make-up will be kept in the container.

It is recommended that patients bring the following upon admission:

Shampoo and conditioner
Comb and brush (no metal teeth)
Hair dryer (must meet safety standards)
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Deodorant (non-aerosol)
Stamped envelopes
Five changes of season-appropriate clothing
No more than $5.00

Visitation Guidelines for Adolescents

We currently have no in person visitation.

Adolescent Telephone Guidelines

Due to the high volume of patient phone calls on the Adolescent Acute Unit, phone calls are made on alternate days between male and female patients:

Female patients on Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Male patients on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

If your teen has a visitor on visitation days, he/she will not receive or make any phone calls.

In order to ensure that all patients receive phone call privileges, phone calls are limited to one (whether incoming or outgoing) on the appropriate scheduled day.

Phone calls are limited to those people approved by parents on the contact list. Patients are not allowed to call their friends, girlfriends or boyfriends.

If parents/legal guardians are calling in, they must have the patient’s ID number. This is done for the patient’s privacy and confidentiality. Parents/guardians are responsible for giving the ID number to those persons on the contact list.

Length of call is determined by the patient’s level for that day. Phone calls are not allowed after 8:30 p.m. Patients are not allowed to receive phone calls during groups.