Sec. 10.21.26.09. Staff Support and Mental Health Services — Inpatient Admission Prevention

A. Staff Support. The program director shall assure that the program:

(1) Has at least one staff person on duty at all times that a resident is present in the RCS facility;

(2) Has the capacity for and, when required by an individual's ITP, provides 24-hour awake staff support;

(3) Has the capacity for 1:4 coverage and, when required by an individual's ITP, provides 1:4 coverage; and

(4) If the program serves children, provides at least one staff member for every three children.

B. Psychiatric Evaluation and Intervention. The program director shall assure that a psychiatrist provides evaluation and prescribed needed treatment interventions, either:

(1) By consultation with the psychiatrist who is currently treating the individual; or

(2) Through a written agreement with a provider of mental health treatment, who will provide face-to-face evaluation by a psychiatrist before the development of the ITP.

C. Treatment and Support Services.

(1) The program director shall assign to each individual who is receiving RCS a treatment coordinator who shall assure that the individual receives:

(a) The care or treatment recommended under Regulation .07A of this chapter;

(b) Monitoring of the individual's condition;

(c) Supportive counseling focused on:

(i) Assessment and definition of problems;

(ii) Planning and goal setting;

(iii) Development of effective problem-solving techniques; and

(iv) Evaluation of progress;

(d) Assistance in accessing community resources, including case management, that are essential to meeting the individual's identified needs; and

(e) Transition services and discharge planning.

(2) Medication Services.

(a) Monitoring. A member of the treatment team privileged to do so shall provide the following medication monitoring services:

(i) Supporting the individual's self-administration of medications, including both prescribed and over-the-counter medications;

(ii) To the extent possible, monitoring compliance with instructions appearing on the label or a more recent physician's order;

(iii) Reading the label to assure that each container of medication is clearly labeled with the individual's name, the contents, directions for use, and expiration date;

(iv) Assuring that each individual has secure, appropriate, and accessible space in which to store medications;

(v) Observing and documenting medications taken and any apparent reactions to the medication, and, either verbally or in writing and in a timely fashion, communicating to the prescribing authority problems that possibly may be related to the medication; and

(vi) Reinforcing education on the role and effects of medication in symptom management.

(b) Administration. If an individual's ITP requires that RCS staff administer medication, only an individual authorized to do so under Health Occupations Article, Annotated Code of Maryland, may administer medication.