COVID-19 Resources and Information
COVID-19 Awareness and Information
Last Updated May 27, 2021
Our team of medical directors and clinicians have created this page to keep our ERC and Pathlight patients, families, caregivers, teammates and professional community informed about COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus.
We’ve curated helpful resources and educational information that includes our center protocols, common questions we’ve received, tips for staying healthy and contact information for our medical staff.
These pages will be updated regularly with new information and resources. A task force has been meeting daily to ensure the safety of our patients, their loved ones and our teammates providing care.
We are Here for You
We know that if you or a loved one are struggling an with eating disorder or mood or anxiety disorder, you need access to treatment—perhaps now more than ever. We are committed to providing that care.
We will continue to provide essential mental health treatment for patients at the standard you have come to expect from us:
- We are providing assessments and accepting admissions for all levels of care for children, adolescents and adults for both traditional in person and virtual treatment.
- We are making care more accessible by offering Virtual Intensive Outpatient Services (Virtual IOP)*. We are also offering Virtual PHP to qualifying patients, where medically appropriate.
- We continue to provide traditional PHP, Residential, Inpatient, and ITU levels of care at our centers nationwide.
- We will work with insurance providers to secure coverage for virtual services and will not bill patients in the unlikely event their insurer does not agree to pay for services.
We are proud to be experts in the field of telehealth, having provided Virtual IOP programming to patients in California, Ohio and Texas over the prior three years. Learn more about our Virtual IOP and Virtual PHP programming.
*Subject to applicable state and insurance licensure guidelines
We have expanded the number and frequency of virtual support services for our patients’ families, our alumni and our professional and community members. Please visit our Virtual Resources Center for up to date information on virtual offerings.
We have implemented additional patient safety protocols: these include enhanced pre-admission screening, mandatory daily medical screenings for patients and staff, restrictions on visitor access, more frequent hygiene breaks and enhanced infection control training.
Our dedicated full-time team of medical doctors, psychiatrists, clinicians and nurses are working round the clock in order to ensure our medical and clinical practices are up to date with the evolving guidelines issued by the CDC and state health departments.
Thank you for your partnership as we care for our patients, their families, our community and each other.
COVID-19 Treatment Protocols
Our treatment centers throughout the nation already follow stringent health and safety requirements including frequent sanitizing of our centers, food service standards and medical infection control procedures. We have taken steps to increase the frequency of deep cleaning and reinforced requirements with staff and vendors for food handling and infection control.
We have implemented additional patient safety protocols, including enhanced pre-admission screening, mandatory daily medical screenings for patients and staff, restrictions on visitor access, more frequent hygiene breaks and enhanced infection control training.
We are following CDC-recommended patient and visitor screening guidelines, and are not allowing any patient, staff member or authorized visitor to come into our treatment centers who have not successfully completed a screening survey before entering. We will ensure that patients and their families will have needed electronics time in order to stay connected.
Our dedicated full-time team of medical doctors, psychiatrists, clinicians and nurses are working round the clock in order to ensure our medical and clinical practices are up to date with the evolving guidelines issued by the CDC and state health departments.
COVID-19 Visitor Policies
Over the last few weeks, we have taken various steps to limit visitors to our centers and enable screening in alignment with recommended guidelines from the CDC, WHO and state health departments in order to best protect our patients, their families and our staff. After careful deliberation, we have come to the decision to suspend family and friend visitors into our treatment centers, beginning Saturday, March 28, 2020.
First, and most importantly, family therapy sessions will continue in a virtual environment. We have been offering virtual services over the last three years, so we’ve been able to expand our staff training and platform to accommodate this change. When video is not available, telephone therapy sessions will be provided.
Second, we will provide increased electronics time so that you can stay connected with your loved ones. Maintaining connection is essential, perhaps now more than ever, and we will do everything we can to help support this time with family and friends.
Lastly, exceptions will be made in the event your attending physician determines an in-person visit is required. A physician order shall be written in that circumstance, and visitors will be expected at the time and location allowed. Please note that all visitors must comply with ERC/Insight’s safety screening measures, which are posted at the entrance of every treatment center. Please monitor your body temperature and do not visit if you have experienced a recent fever. You will not be eligible to visit if you have new medical symptoms, especially a cough or shortness of breath, or if you have recently traveled from high risk of COVID-19 regions. Importantly, ALL visitors must wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before entering any patient care unit.
We thank you for your understanding and flexibility as we continue to monitor the changing environment and ensure our practices are in line with the recommendations from the CDC, WHO and state health departments. Of utmost importance to us is providing a safe and nurturing environment for our patients and their families, and this change will help us toward that end. Of course, as soon as we can resume in-person family therapy and visits, we will do so.
If you answer ‘yes’ to any of the below questions, you will not be permitted in the treatment center until you have been fever or symptom-free for 24 hours.
- Have you had close contact (6 feet or less) for a duration of 15 minutes or more with any individual who has tested positive for COVID-19?
- Have you had a fever (defined as a temperature greater than 100.0 degrees F in the absence of any fever reducing medicines) in the past 24 hours?
- In the past 24 hours, have you experienced a new or worsening cough or new or worsening shortness of breath?
- Have you traveled to a CDC Level 3 country or traveled domestically in the last 14 days? If you have questions, call the number below.
If you respond NO to each of these screening questions, please wash your hands or use our hand sanitizer before entering a patient care area.
COVID-19 FAQ
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What if my loved one has a doctor’s appointment? Is it safe for them to go into medical offices where people possibly infected with coronavirus may have been?
For current patients who have medical appointments, we are working closely with their outpatient providers to ensure the safest care of our patients who need urgent services at their centers. We will be helping our patients to understand how to protect themselves by following known protective measures such as thorough, frequent handwashing.
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What if someone in the treatment center, such as a patient or staff member, is exhibiting symptoms?
If anyone exhibits a fever or lower respiratory symptoms, we will isolate them comfortably in a room with a closed door as quickly as possible. Once medical staff has taken precautionary measures, they will make sure the person is stable and our senior medical leadership will work with the patient and their family or staff member to determine the most appropriate next steps. We will not be treating any patients with coronavirus at our treatment centers.
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I am/my loved one is in your care now. How will I know if coronavirus becomes a threat at the treatment center?
We are committed to sharing information quickly, accurately and responsibly. We will reach out to you directly to inform you of any concern or incident immediately.
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Can you test for coronavirus in your centers?
All testing is done through regional health departments in collaboration with CDC, therefore we don’t have testing capabilities for the coronavirus in our treatment centers. Anyone exhibiting potential symptoms will be sent home or to a medical healthcare center.
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Are you still holding family events?
Yes, but all Family Days are now taking place in a virtual setting. Your treatment team will provide you with information and instructions for joining.
