Your rights
- To be treated with dignity, respect, and consideration, free from discrimination.
- To receive care in a safe environment, free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
- To have your privacy protected and your records kept confidential by law.
- To be informed about your diagnosis, treatment options, expected benefits, and risks in language you understand.
- To participate in developing and reviewing your treatment plan.
- To refuse any service or treatment and be told the likely consequences of doing so.
- To request a change of clinician when a reasonable alternative is available.
- To be free from restraint or seclusion used as coercion, discipline, or convenience.
- To review your record and request corrections, as described in our Notice of Privacy Practices.
- To receive information about fees, coverage, and your financial responsibility in advance.
- To an interpreter or auxiliary aid at no cost to you.
- To receive these rights in writing at admission, in plain language and in a format you can use, including large print, another language, or read aloud.
- To have a family member, advocate, peer supporter, or legal representative of your choosing involved in your care with your permission.
- To make a psychiatric advance directive and to have it honored to the extent the law allows.
- To be told about the program rules, the services available, and the reasons services could be reduced or ended, before they are.
- To voice a complaint or grievance without fear of retaliation or loss of services.
Your responsibilities
- Provide accurate and complete information about your health, history, and medications.
- Take part in your treatment plan and tell us when something is not working.
- Keep appointments or give notice when you cannot attend.
- Treat staff and other clients with respect, and help keep our spaces safe.
- Share insurance information and meet financial obligations you have agreed to.
Freedom from abuse, neglect, and exploitation
You have the right to be free from physical, verbal, sexual, financial, and emotional harm, from humiliation and retaliation, and from restraint or seclusion used as coercion, discipline, or convenience. Any allegation is reported to the appropriate state authority and investigated. Report a concern immediately to (667) 239-3195, or to Maryland Adult Protective Services or Child Protective Services at 1-800-332-6347, or to the Virginia Adult Protective Services hotline at 1-888-832-3858.
Advance directives
You may create a psychiatric or mental health advance directive stating the treatment you do and do not want if you later cannot make decisions for yourself, and you may name a health care agent. Maryland recognizes advance directives under the Health Care Decisions Act, and Virginia recognizes them under the Health Care Decisions Act including mental health provisions. Tell us if you have one so we can place a copy in your record, and ask us if you would like help creating one. We will not require an advance directive as a condition of receiving services.
Grievances and appeals
If something goes wrong, tell us. Speak with your clinician or program director first, or contact us directly at (667) 239-3195 or info@openarmsprp.com. You may file a grievance in person, by phone, in writing, or anonymously, and someone you choose may file it for you. Filing a grievance never affects your services and never results in retaliation.
- We acknowledge every grievance in writing within five business days.
- We investigate and give you a written decision within thirty calendar days.
- If you disagree with the decision, you may request a review by our executive leadership, and you may take your concern to any of the external contacts below at any point in the process. You do not have to use our process first.
External contacts
- Maryland Behavioral Health Administration, Office of Consumer Affairs: 410-402-8300.
- Maryland Office of Health Care Quality: 410-402-8000.
- Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, Office of Human Rights: 804-786-3988.
- Your Medicaid managed care organization, at the member services number on your card.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights: 1-800-368-1019, TDD 1-800-537-7697, for privacy or civil rights complaints.
In a crisis
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911. For 24/7 crisis support, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
This page is provided for general information and is being reviewed by counsel before launch. It does not constitute legal advice. For questions about how this policy applies to your care, contact us at info@openarmsprp.com.