Policy

It is the policy of MULTI-COUNTY COUNSELING, INC. to ensure safety of all persons served, staff and stakeholders at all times. This policy guides personnel when harmful items are brought into the agency that could risk the health and safety of others.

Procedure

  1. Illegal Drugs
  1. No person shall be in possession of illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia on MULTI-COUNTY COUNSELING, INC. premises or in any office or other location where MULTI-COUNTY COUNSELING, INC. provides services.
  2. If a client or visitor brings illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia to a MULTI-COUNTY COUNSELING, INC. service site, the staff person discovering that fact immediately calls for the assistance of another person, preferably a treatment professional, to witness the actions subsequently taken and counsel the client or visitor.
  3. If the person in possession of such items is a client or is a person requesting treatment services, the staff person observes all applicable client rights and confidentiality policies as set forth in these Policies and Procedures.
  4. The staff person secures the substances or paraphernalia for possible use as evidence and ultimately for destruction or disposal by the Safety Officer.
  5. If a visitor who is not a client and is not requesting treatment services is in possession of illegal drugs or paraphernalia, the employee calls the local police department for assistance.
  6. Under no circumstances does a MULTI-COUNTY COUNSELING, INC. employee suggest that any person leave any site where MULTI-COUNTY COUNSELING, INC. provides services in possession of illegal drugs or paraphernalia, or, if inebriated, leave the premises in control of a motor vehicle or walking alone or with one or more other inebriated persons.
  7. Employees working at off-site locations comply with the foregoing to the extent reasonable and possible and report the extent and nature of unavoidable non-compliance to the Safety Officer.
  1. Legal Drugs
  1. No person shall be in possession of alcohol, tobacco, or other legal drugs, (unless prescribed medications as addressed in Section C) on MULTI-COUNTY COUNSELING, INC. premises or in any office or other location where MULTI-COUNTY COUNSELING, INC. provides services.
  2. If a client or visitor brings non-prescribed legal drugs to a MULTI-COUNTY COUNSELING, INC. service site, the staff person discovering that fact immediately calls for the assistance of another person, preferably a treatment professional, to witness the actions subsequently taken and counsel the client or visitor.
  3. If the person in possession of such items is a client or is a person requesting treatment services, the staff person observes all applicable client rights and confidentiality policies as set forth in these Policies and Procedures.
  4. The staff person secures the substances for possible use as evidence and ultimately for destruction or disposal by the Safety Officer.

Legal Drugs - Continued

  1. If a visitor who is not a client and is not requesting treatment services is in possession of non-prescribed legal drugs and refuses to surrender them and/or leave the premises, the employee calls the local police department for assistance.
  2. Under no circumstances does a MULTI-COUNTY COUNSELING, INC. employee suggest that any person leave any site where MULTI-COUNTY COUNSELING, INC. provides services in possession of alcohol, if inebriated, in control of a motor vehicle or walking alone or with one or more other inebriated persons.
  1. Employees working at off-site locations comply with the foregoing to the extent reasonable and possible and report the extent and nature of unavoidable non-compliance to the Safety Officer.
  1. Prescription Medication
  1. Employees are required to provide the Executive Director with medical emergency information that includes a list of all prescriptions that they need to have in their possession while at MULTI-COUNTY COUNSELING, INC. or customarily keep with them while at work.
  2. Clients, visitors, and employees who need to have prescription medications or other licit drugs in their possession must keep the items secure and out of sight on their person or in a secure place in an office.
  3. When a person is actually taking medication, that person makes every reasonable attempt do so privately.
  4. Record managers obtain all pertinent information regarding clients’ medications and place the information in the clients’ treatment records or, if there is no treatment record, such other file as is most pertinent to their receiving services from MULTI-COUNTY COUNSELING, INC..
  5. Counselors enforce the medication restrictions with all clients at all times.
  6. Counselors review the medication information at least once every six months while the client is receiving services and updates the client’s information in the client’s record accordingly.
  7. If there are no changes in a client’s medication information, the counselor notes in the record that the medication information was reviewed.
  8. Employees who have visitors in their purview shall make certain the visitors are informed of, and comply with, MULTI-COUNTY COUNSELING, INC.’s medication restrictions.
  9. Repeated non-compliance by a client or visitor with MULTI-COUNTY COUNSELING, INC.’s policies on medications is reported to the appropriate manager, who may require a non-complying visitor to leave the premises or require a client’s primary counselor to address the issue in a fashion consistent with the client’s treatment plan.
  10. When medication is turned in, the staff person receiving the medicine counts, bags, labels the medication and turns it over to the Executive Director, or designee, to be secured.
  11. Medication will be disposed of through the local hospital medication incineration program.
  12. At no time, shall any medication be “flushed” due to environmental issues related to “flushing” medication.
  1. Weapons
  2. No person shall bring a weapon, concealed or otherwise, into any place where MULTI-COUNTY COUNSELING, INC. offers services.
  3. If a MULTI-COUNTY COUNSELING, INC. staff person discovers someone present is in possession of a weapon, the staff person contacts the Regional Director.
  4. The Regional Directorensures that the person in possession of the weapon immediately removes the weapon from the premises.
  5. If the person refuses to remove the weapon from the premises, the staff person calls 911.

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