THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT

 The medical department consists of several licensed professionals who care for all students. The Medical Director is a practicing local pediatrician. Together with his nurse practitioners they are responsible for the student’s overall medical care. This includes annual and periodic examinations as well as assessment of symptoms and specialist referral when necessary. The psychiatrist examines all students on a regular basis. They receive feedback from the interdepartmental team and assess the need for medications or changes as well as consult with other members of the health care team. Nurses are available throughout the daytime hours and oncall during the night. The nursing staff oversees the general health of all students, dispenses medication, and provides treatment during illness or accident. They also guide students in understanding their individual health and well-being. In addition, there is a nutritionist on staff who consults with the agency to provide assessment and assistance as needed. This includes specialized individual guidance as well as menu planning for well-balanced daily intake. The medical department works collaboratively to ensure the general welfare of each student.

Emergency Medical Treatment

While you are hillcrest our medical professionals will always take good care of you. If you every need medical treatment that our on-site nurses cannot take care of you will go with your staff to the local hospital to make sure you are healthy and safe. Depending on why you need to go to the hospital, you may be driven by staff in a Hillcrest car or van, or you may go in an ambulance. Your family or guardian will always be talked to so they know what is going on.

To Parents/Guardians:

If your child ever has a serious illness and/or a medical emergency include any medical problem requiring hospitalization or emergency room visit, which a student cannot be treated by the onsite nurse, the student will be taken to the nearest local hospital.

If the student’s condition clearly indicates that the student can be moved, the student will be transported in an agency vehicle or other approved vehicle. If there is a doubt about whether the student can or should be moved, or if a student falls from a height of more than fifteen feet, an ambulance is called. An ambulance may also be called if it is believed that the student’s safety requires ambulance transportation. A nurse on campus, supervisor or administrator will make the determination of need to call an ambulance.

In the event of major illness or emergency medical treatment, the you will be notified by telephone by the nurse, administrator and/or attending physician as soon as possible. In the event that you cannot be reached immediately by telephone, a nurse or administrator may send a telegram or may contact local police, DSS, etc., depending on the nature of the illness or emergency. You will be informed of the nature or circumstances of the illness or injury and the student’s medical treatment will be explained. In life-threatening situations, where no parent/guardian is available, the physician or Hillcrest administrator will take responsibility for making medical decisions. The Department of Children and Families, the Department of Education and any other agency that is responsible for the student will be informed of the emergency hospitalization by the Program Director or designee.

If a guardian or adult client (own guardian) sign out of Hillcrest’s care against medical advice, they will be provided with numbers for a crisis hotline as well as their local DCF office, should they need support. The numbers and information are located on the AMA form that the guardian or adult client will be signing, a copy of that form should be provided to them during this process.

If a guardian is removing a client and the treatment team felt that it was a potentially abusive or neglectful situation due to high suicidal risk, Hillcrest will file a report with the child abuse/neglect hotline. If the client is their own guardian, Hillcrest will notify the crisis team directly.

There are many different types of staff who will be working with our students on their goals. Here is a list of staff that will be a part of your life at Hillcrest:

• YDC (Youth Development Counselor): YDCs are staff that work directly with students on the dorm or in the classroom. YDC’s help the students with their daily needs, following their team schedule, and working on their skills and treatment goals. YDC’s also help students to learn the rules and expectations of Hillcrest, and find skills to use when they are stressed out or upset.

• Supervisor (and Assistant Supervisor): Supervisors are in charge of running the campus during their shift. There is a supervisor on campus at all times, and they make sure that all the students and staff remain safe. Supervisors are here to help YDC’s, other staff, and students, as well as make sure that everything that is supposed to happen that day gets done!

• Clinician: Clinicians work with each student, their family and the students social worker to make a plan for your treatment while they are at Hillcrest. They work with the students in individual, group and family therapy to help achieve treatment goals, overcoming obstacles from the past, and learning new skills for their future. They also talk with the students family and social worker, or other concerned adults, to make sure that they know how the student is doing, and to plan for what is next after our students leave Hillcrest.

• Teacher: Teachers at Hillcrest work with our students to help meet specific educational goals. They also help each student, their family, and school district with understanding how our students learn, and what their needs are in school and to keep track of academic progress.

• TA (Teacher Assistant): Teacher Assistants are assigned to a classroom and work with that classroom’s teacher to help each student meet their educational goals. TA’s also help to give extra support to students in the classroom when they need it, and help the teacher to keep the classroom running smoothly.

• Nurse: Nurses are on campus during daytime hours and on call during the night. Nurses oversee the general health of all students. They also give student’s their medication, and provides treatment if a student is sick or hurt. They also help students learn about their individual health and well-being.

• Psychiatrist: The psychiatrist meets with all students on a regular basis. They receive feedback from a team of staff and assess the need for medications or changes. They also work other members of the health care team if the student or the team have questions or concerns about your medical needs.

• Nutritionist: The nutritionist works with the nurses and cooks to provide a well-balanced diet for all students. They help the students who need special guidance with the food they eat to be healthy.

• Cook: The cooks prepare nutritional meals and snacks for the staff and students at your campus. Sometimes this can mean more than 100 people a day!

• Speech-Language Therapist: These are specialized therapists that work with students who need extra help with speech and language skills. If a student had speech-language before coming to Hillcrest, they will probably continue to receive these services. The Speech-Language Therapist works with students during the school day, usually in their classroom.

• Assistant Director of Clinical Services: This person is a member of the administrative team on campus. They supervise all the clinical staff in the treatment that every student receives on campus to ensure treatment goals are appropriate, and that all clinicians are meeting the needs of the students and their families.

• Program Director: This person is responsible for the oversight and operation of the entire program. The Director ensures the security and well-being of our students and staff while operating a safe program.

Board of Directors

* President/CEO

* Executive Director (reports to President/CEO)

* Vice Presidents (report to Executive Director)

–   Senior VP

–   VP of Finance

–   VP of Human Resources & Workforce Learning

• Department Heads (report to the Senior Vice President)

• Director of Nursing
• Director of Education & Assistant
• Program Support /Facilities Director
• Program Director/Manager
• Clinical Director

Department Staff (report to Department Heads)

• Supervisors & Assistants
• Clinical Staff
• Teachers
• Nurses
• Support Services
• Youth Development Counselors
• Teacher Aides
• Related Service Providers

(* Senior Management Team Member)

Student_Rights_Sign_Off

STUDENT RIGHTS:

1) The right to receive treatment.

2) The right to three meals a day and decent, appropriate clothing.

3) The right to a clean and safe environment.

4) The right to be treated with dignity, respect and fairness.

5) The right not to be discriminated against.

6) The right to education that provides preparation for living.

7) The right to information about safe sex and communicable diseases.

8) The right to adequate health and medical care, and the promotion of healthy and wholesome recreation.

9) The right to know program values and expectations.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES:

1) The responsibility to fully participate in the treatment plan process.

2) The responsibility to cooperate with medical care, medication regimen and  recommendations.

3) The responsibility to know campus values and expectations and be accountable if they do not follow them     .

4) The responsibility to keep themselves and others safe.

5) The responsibility to make staff aware of any problems.

6) The responsibility to participate in keeping the environment clean and orderly.

7) The responsibility to keep themselves clean and maintain proper personal hygiene.

8) The responsibility to treat others with respect, dignity, and fairness.

9) The responsibility to not participate in or promote discrimination against others.

*At intake to the assigned campus, the individual served and their parent or guardian will receive a copy of their campus’ handbook. The handbook covers the procedures related to the specific campus and needs of the population. If at this time the individual served is disoriented or lacks capacity to understand their rights, he or she will be issued and informed again when he or she is able to understand the materials and information.

Our mission at Hillcrest Educational Centers is to facilitate the social, emotional, intellectual, and physical growth of our students through the development of new skills that will enable them to succeed in their home community.

Our Guiding Principles:

• Every student has the potential to succeed in life
• Every member of the Hillcrest community (students, families, and employees) is entitled to unconditional respect
• Every student is entitled to individualized treatment and education
• Students need our services because they have lacked the skills, resources, or support required to cope with their environments
• Families are an integral part of our students’ success
• We are committed to assuring that our students reach their full academic potential
• We are committed to continuous improvement and learning
• We are committed to fiscal responsibility
• We are committed to teamwork
• We are committed to excellence

The HEC program my child is in is:     Brookside Intensive Treatment Unit

5 Ramsdell Road

Great Barrington, MA 01230

My child’s Treatment Team is Team __________________________.

The program’s phone number is (413)528-0535

My child’s Clinician’s name is ______________________________________________.

His/her telephone extension is Extension_________________________.

His/her supervisor’s name is ______________________________.

His/her supervisor’s telephone extension is Extension ___________.

The Program Director’s name is ________________________________________.

His/her telephone extension is Extension__________________________.

The telephone extension for the Nurse’s Office is Extension _______________.

Our mission at Hillcrest Educational Centers is to facilitate the social, emotional, intellectual, and physical growth of our students through the development of new skills that will enable them to succeed in their home community.

Our Guiding Principals:

• Every student has the potential to succeed in life
• Every member of the Hillcrest community (students, families, and employees) is entitled to unconditional respect
• Every student is entitled to individualized treatment and education
• Students need our services because they have lacked the skills, resources, or support required to cope with their environments
• Families are an integral part of our students’ success
• We are committed to assuring that our students reach their full academic potential
• We are committed to continuous improvement and learning
• We are committed to fiscal responsibility
• We are committed to teamwork
• We are committed to excellence

The Highpoint program is located in Lenox, Massachusetts. It is a rural setting on 24 beautiful acres, surrounded by land preserved by the Massachusetts Audubon Society.

Highpoint is a trauma informed care residential treatment setting for males aged 11-21 with a variety of high-risk behaviors and mental health diagnoses. Highpoint provides specialized treatment for high-risk behaviors including, physical aggression, self-injury and suicidal ideation, substance use and fire setting. Highpoint also provides a specialized treatment program for males who demonstrate sexualized behaviors and have engaged in sexually abusive or intrusive behaviors towards others. Although many of our students present with a multitude of high-risk behaviors and dual diagnoses, Highpoint is designed to provide programming that is individualized to meet the needs of each student.

While at Highpoint, students reside with peers who have similar treatment needs and functioning levels. However, students with differing high-risk behaviors may be in the same academic class or participating in various residential activities together based on the academic performance and recreational interest of each student.

The students at Highpoint are engaged in an intensive curriculum focused on treatment for their high-risk behaviors that is provided in individual, group and family therapies as well as in the milieu setting. This treatment is heavily focused on understanding the nature and motivations of their behaviors, being accountable for their past, current and future choices, understanding how their choices impact themselves and other people, safety and relapse prevention planning, making repairs and engaging in restitution or mean making activities when appropriate.

We believe it is essential to have the student’s family involved in every step of their child’s treatment at Highpoint. This is achieved through consistent communication between the family and program staff, facilitating frequent visitation and contact with the student and their family as well as providing family therapy and skill coaching. Additionally, Highpoint hosts a monthly family event where students and their family can gather and engage in an activity facilitated by Highpoint staff.

Many of the students who reside at Highpoint have trauma histories involving past abuse, neglect, loss and bullying. While at Highpoint, the students are engaged in trauma resolution through intensive therapeutic services as well as by utilizing milieu interventions. Additionally, most of the Highpoint students are dually diagnosed with including but not limited to psychiatric disorders, learning disabilities, developmental delays, and Autism Spectrum Disorders.

In addition to the above-mentioned services, Highpoint provides an on-site year round educational program as well as a structured residential and milieu environment. Students are provided with vocational and independent living skills practices and opportunity during their course of treatment. Our medical services include routine medical care delivered by nurses on-site as well as psychiatric services and medication management.

Highpoint provides an intensely structured, therapeutic and nurturing environment with high staff to student ratios. This allows the students to learn new skills including coping skills, emotional regulation skills, mindfulness skills and interpersonal relationship skills to help them become more successful as they prepare for transition to a lower level of care or community setting. With the help of the Highpoint staff, our students are able to utilize these skills to allow them to make productive, healthy choices rather than engage in quick relief or high-risk behaviors.  The Highpoint Campus offers excellent recreational opportunities utilizing a soccer field and baseball diamond, an in-ground swimming pool, and a full size gymnasium. Students participate in camping, biking, skiing and other outdoor activities year round. The surrounding Berkshire communities offer a wide variety of educational, cultural and recreational resources that our students frequently access and utilize.