Admission to The Starting Point

1. Minimum Inclusion Criteria:

• To receive treatment at The Starting Point, an individual must be between the ages of 18 and 25.
• Individual's must posess a dual diagnosis, which includes an Axis 1 psychological and substance-related disorder, the combination of which is preventing the individual from functioning effectively at a lower level of care.
• Physician referral that includes an Axis-1-V diagnosis and indication that a voluntary, residential treatment program like the Starting Point is recommended to be the least restrictive level of care for this individual.
• Individual is able to comprehend the Program Requirements, house and safety rules, that participation is voluntary and has concrete goals that can be facilitated through participation in The Starting Point program.
• Individual should be able to bring supply of current medications (30 days for insured and 3 days for uninsured clients).

2. Exclusion Criteria

• Individuals who are intoxicated, actively suicidal, and/or deemed to be not medically stable for this level of care.
• Recent aggressive or assaultive behavior that indicates continued need for a higher level of care than The Starting Point program.
• Non-ambulatory, positive chest X-ray for TB, and/or medical condition that requires treatment that could not otherwise be sustained in the general community.

ADMISSIONS PROCESS:

1. Referral Packet to be sent to Admissions Coordinator.

• Kate Hanna
  • T(619)659-3120 F(619)445-0444, khanna@astci.com
• Packet should include:

1. Physician referral-with Axis I-V diagnosis (utilizing DSM-V-TR criteria) and level of care recommended
2. H&P completed within last 30 days
3. Psychological and/or psychiatric assessment
4. List of medications
5. Summary of client's recent daily functioning (i.e., daily program/nursing documentation from Acute Care setting or START program)
6. Collateral contact information
7. Results of recent PPD screening (must have negative PPD or negative chest X-ray).

2. Packet will be reviewed to assess whether referral meets minimum admission criteria and referral packet seems complete.

3. Once packet is determined to be complete, packet will then be forwarded to Program Director (or designee) for review.

1. Program Director (or designee) reviews packet to assess whether the following items can be determined based on the information provided in the packet:
   • Psychosocial functioning and needs
   • Physical/medical functioning and needs
   • Client's level of understanding of the program, motivation for this type of treatment, and self-identified goals.
2. Assessment will be summarized in an email that will be sent to the entire Admissions team.
   1. Potential medical/physical concerns will be forwarded to Administration and Psychiatrist for review.
   2. If it is determined that more information is needed, depending on the nature of the information, Admissions Coordinator may call referral source and request additional date or PD may decide to speak with the prospective cleint/referral source directly over the phone.
   3. If it is determined that an adequate amount of information has been provided and there are no outstanding concerns, Program Assistant will be asked to arrange an Intake Interview fo the next scheduled Clinic day.

4. Referral source will be notified within 5 days (under optimal circumstances, will be reviewed and referring source will be notified within 48 hours of submission) of referral as to whether referral will be accepted/not accepted for intake interview. If referral is not a good fit, suggestions of alternative, more appropriate placements will be provided.

5. Intake interview will be conducted by Program Director (or designee). Interview questions will address referral's history and motivation for treatment. Overall program structure as well as program requirements will be reviewed and individual will be assessed for commitment and understanding of the voluntary nature of the program.

• Psychiatrist, Administrator, and Program director (or designee) will meet with individual briefly in Clinic (unless otherwise indicated).
• Within 24 hours of intake interview(s), referral source will be notified by Program Assistant regarding whether referral will be accepted for placement. If individual is accepted, he or she will either be scheduled for an immediate admission or placed on Waiting List for admission.
• If referral is not accepted, referral source will be provided with specific reasons as to why referral is not a good fit for the program, details regarding what would need to occur to make the referral eligible, and suggestions of alternative, more appropriate placements.

 IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS FOR THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS:

Program Information: 

      "Starting Point- FSP Services"      Program Agreement      Program Requirement     

Referral Information:

      Referral Packet      Self Evaluation      Pre-Admission Questionnaire     

      Self-Health Questionnaire