Medical Department

The medical department at Harbor Point Behavioral Health consists of 24-hour nursing coverage with licensed registered nurses and a board-certified family physician onsite who is on duty eight hours per day and on call 24 hours per day. The family physician works in partnership with your child’s attending psychiatrist and treatment team.

Upon admission, your child with have a physical exam by a board-certified family physician who will complete a health and physical exam and work in collaboration with attending psychiatrist to rule out any underlying medical issues that could be contributing to your child behavioral issues. Baseline labs are ordered and genetic testing is ordered if necessary to rule out an underlying genetic syndrome. All residents are sent for a baseline dental exam and routine optometry exam and your child will be transported to any other medical specialists as indicated. The family physician will provide ongoing primary care for your child and prescribe all non-psychiatric medications.

Your child will be reassessed upon admission by a board-certified psychiatrist who will complete a psychiatric evaluation within 24 hours and prescribe psychotropic medications according to current evidence-based medicine emphasizing safety. Consent will be obtained from the child’s guardian for all new psychiatric medications. All medications are reviewed monthly at the treatment team meetings. All medications go through a pharmacy for review to avoid any possible drug to drug interactions and minimize polypharmacy.

A daily pediatric clinic is conducted by the family physician for routine medical complaints and your child may be treated at our facility with symptomatic measures such as bed rest or, if needed, your child will be sent to the emergency room or scheduled for a specialist consultation at a later date of non-emergent. Emergency care is rendered without prior notice as consent to treat a medical emergency is given upon admission; however, the guardian will be notified as soon as possible.

Additional services provided by the nursing department include infection control, hygiene education, medication administration, coordination of specialty appointments and therapeutic leaves of absence as well as contributing to the monthly treatment team meeting.

*The state of Virginia requires parents, guardians or caseworkers to provide a current immunization record.