After-Hours & Emergency Communication Policy
At Mental Health Purpose, Inc., we are committed to providing high-quality outpatient mental health services during our regular business hours. As an outpatient behavioral health practice, we do not provide emergency services, crisis intervention, or after-hours/on-call coverage.
Emergency and Crisis Situations
If you are experiencing any of the following:
- Thoughts of suicide or self-harm
- Thoughts of harming another person
- A mental health or substance use crisis
- Severe emotional distress
- A medical or psychiatric emergency
Do not wait for a response from our office.
Immediately:
Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Call 911 if you are in immediate danger or require emergency medical assistance.
Go to the nearest emergency department.
(additional crisis resources on our Community Resources page)
After-Hours Communications
Mental Health Purpose, Inc. utilizes Spruce, a HIPAA-compliant communication platform, for patient messaging and communication.
Please be aware that communications received through:
- Spruce (Downloaded app is the only way to ensure HIPAA compliance)
- Voicemail
- Text messaging
- Website contact forms
- Any other communication channel
are not continuously monitored after business hours, on weekends, or during holidays.
These communication methods must not be used to report emergencies, crisis situations, suicidal thoughts, safety concerns, urgent medical issues, or any condition requiring immediate intervention.
Response Times
We strive to respond to non-urgent communications as promptly as possible during regular business hours. However, response times may vary based on provider availability, office closures, holidays, weekends, and patient care demands. Turnaround is Usually 12-24 business hours
Submission of a message does not guarantee an immediate response.
Prescription Refills: Prescription refills are provided during scheduled appointments only. Patients are responsible for scheduling and attending follow-up appointments before their medication supply is exhausted. Refill requests submitted between appointments, after hours, on weekends, or during holidays will not be processed. If you cancel, reschedule, or miss an appointment, you may be without medication until your next appointment so please keep this in mind. For patient safety and quality of care, clinical assessments, medication adjustments, treatment recommendations and other medical decision-making generally cannot be completed through electronic messaging alone. These matters may require a scheduled appointment or, when appropriate, emergency evaluation.
Electronic communications should not be relied upon for urgent clinical needs.
Telehealth Services
For telehealth appointments, patients will be required to provide their current physical location and emergency contact information at the beginning of each session. This information may be used to contact emergency services or an emergency contact if a safety concern arises during treatment.
Acknowledgment
By utilizing services provided by Mental Health Purpose, Inc. and its communication platforms, you acknowledge and understand that Mental Health Purpose, Inc. is an outpatient mental health practice and is not an emergency response provider, crisis center, or emergency treatment facility. We do not offer same day appointments for new evaluations.
If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, behavioral health crisis, thoughts of self-harm, thoughts of harming others, or any other emergency, call or text 988, call 911, or proceed to the nearest emergency department immediately. Non-urgent communications will be addressed during regular business hours as provider availability permits.