Call 970.347.2120 if you have questions about our services or whether to seek treatment.
Our knowledgeable professionals can guide you to the right answer or resource.
See below for frequently asked questions.
Emergencies
Getting Help
Medication
The Genoa Healthcare Pharmacy located on-site at our Main Center is open and ready to serve you – even if you’re meeting with your doctor by phone or video! The pharmacy team is focused on serving the needs of those in the behavioral health and substance use disorder communities, as well as those who have complex, chronic conditions.
The Genoa Healthcare pharmacy:
- Fills all medications (not just behavioral health medications) on site.
- Can mail all your medications (at no extra cost) to your home or place of residence.
- Organizes your pills based on the date and time you need to take them, making it easier to stay on track.
- Assist with insurance plans and questions, including Medicaid and Medicare.
- Transfer prescriptions from other pharmacies to Genoa Healthcare.
- Cares for and gets to know each person on an individual level, serving as an extension of your care team.
Visit the Genoa Pharmacy team at Main Center today!
For Caregivers
Ask your relative or the staff members working with them to obtain a release of information if you want to be involved in or informed of the treatment and services. Discuss concerns and observations with those treating your relative. If you have concerns or questions about treatment, talk with the therapist or case manager as well as your relative. To best help your relative, learn about the specific mental illness or substance use disorder, and develop coping strategies.
Take care of your own physical and mental health if you are a caregiver. Be supportive of your relative to promote hope for the future, but consider the safety and well-being of the whole family and community and set limits on behavior when appropriate. Participate in family education and support groups. Find and use the many community resources that can help you and your family members.Medications may be prescribed for young children when mental, behavioral, or emotional symptoms are so severe and persistent that they would have serious negative consequences for the child if left untreated and other interventions alone are not proving effective. Although psychotropic medications affect children differently than adults, medications may be prescribed because the benefits outweigh the risks. Caregivers should ask questions and evaluate the benefits and the risks of medications with the child’s doctor. Parents should learn about the medications and side effects, including which side effects are tolerable and which ones are threatening. Our physicians will work with you and your child to evaluate if changes in diet and activity could positively affect your child’s condition.
Whether or not medications are prescribed, parents are encouraged to learn about, understand, and support the goals of a particular treatment (i.e., change in specific behaviors) and to be prepared to follow-up consistently and report observations.Substance Use
Paying for Care
Developmental Disabilities
Mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning. Most people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief from their symptoms and manage symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment plan. Mental illness may affect a person at any time in their life, at any age. It affects persons of any level of intelligence, although they may have trouble functioning at a normal level due to illness. Individuals may fluctuate between normal and irrational behavior. Mental illnesses can include, but are not limited to: depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and borderline personality disorder.
A developmental disability is caused by a mental or physical impairment or a combination of those impairments. developmental disabilities are not illnesses; they are conditions, and as such, cannot be cured. However, with specialized training, individuals may learn to improve and develop their abilities. They may be present at birth or occur before the individual reaches age 22. Brain injury can also cause developmental disabilities. Developmentally disabled individuals have a below average intellectual functioning (standard IQ below 70) but can usually be expected to behave rationally at their functional level. Developmental disabilities can include several types of conditions including, but not limited to: Autism, Down Syndrome, brain injury, Asperger’s Syndrome, Cerebral palsy, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.Confidentiality
Yes. You have the right to expect your providers and other staff you interact with to maintain confidentiality and keep the information you share with them private. Your provider is not permitted to discuss information you share during your sessions with anyone else, unless you have given them specific permission to do so or they are otherwise required by law.
Sometimes, you may wish to have other people, such as family members, doctors, or other providers be involved in your treatment. In these cases, you will be asked to sign a release of information that indicates you have given us your permission to share information with people and/or agencies of your choice.In most cases, your employer will not know about your involvement in mental health or substance use treatment. Unless you give them permission to share it with others, all healthcare providers are required to protect and keep your medical information private, unless otherwise required by law. Examples of when your employer may know about treatment may include:
- A worker’s compensation claim: your employer may be informed about elements of your treatment in order to help you return to work.
- Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA): in order to take this protected leave due to a serious health condition, you may be required to provide a complete and sufficient medical certification if your employer requests it.
Yes. If you have signed a release of information, you have given us permission to share information with people and/or agencies of your choice. There are also other circumstances in which we would not need your permission as defined by State and Federal case law. Circumstances that are most common include:
- Collection of debt
- Third-party reimbursement (i.e. getting payment from insurance company)
- Defense of malpractice or professional complaint
- If you are a danger to yourself or another person
- Suspicion of abuse of children, elderly, or someone who is mentally or physically handicapped
Consumer Rights
Compliments and Complaints
Involuntary Holds
How long does it last? It may be necessary to take someone incapacitated by mental illness, drugs, or alcohol to a facility for professional evaluation and treatment – even if the person is unwilling. This may have to be done to protect that person or others who are threatened by his or her behavior. While difficult for all involved, involuntary treatment can lead to very positive change.
If you think an involuntary hold is necessary, call our 24-hour crisis phone line: 970.347.2120. The on-call crisis counselor will evaluate the situation and explain the options and resources available. If an individual is placed at our Acute Treatment Unit (ATU) on an involuntary basis, they can be held for 72 hours on a Mental Health Hold. A Mental Health Hold can lead to a Mental Health Certification, which can last between 90 and 180 days.
If held involuntarily at our Detoxification Unit, it is considered an Emergency Commitment for up to 5 days. An Involuntary Commitment, for up to 210 days, is also possible; these commitments are decided by the court system. Contact Crisis Stabilization Services at 970.347.2120 for assistance if you wish to pursue this option for a loved one.
Our staff provides ongoing assessment during an individual’s stay to determine if involuntary hospitalization is still needed or to recommend further involuntary/voluntary treatment.Colorado Access
Advance Directives
You have the right to provide advanced written instructions to healthcare workers about the type of healthcare you want or do not want if you become so ill or injured that you cannot speak for yourself. These decisions are called Advance Directives. Advance Directives are legal papers you prepare while you are healthy. In Colorado, they include:
- A Medical Durable Power of Attorney: this names a person you trust to make decisions for you if you cannot speak for yourself.
- A Living Will: this tells your doctor what type of life-sustaining procedures you want and do not want.
- A Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Directive: this is also known as a “Do Not Resuscitate” Order. It tells medical persons not to revive you if your heart and/or lungs stop working.
For more information about this, talk to your Primary Care Physician (PCP). Your PCP will have an Advance Directives form that you can fill out. Your mental health provider will ask you if you have an Advance Directive. You may have a copy placed in your mental health record if you wish. Advance Directives are voluntary, and you are not required to have one to receive services.
If you think your providers are not following your Advance Directive, you can file a complaint. Call or write to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment at:
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
Denver, Colorado 80246-1530
303.692.2000
Veterans
Veterans can receive mental health support focused on the issues they face whenever they need it through this website. Provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, it connects veterans, their families and friends, and other supporters to vital mental health information and inspiring stories of recovery.