As a residential facility, Summit offers routine medical care provided by a full-time nursing staff and an attending pediatrician. In emergencies, we make use of the Emergency Room at Nyack General Hospital, which is located less than one half mile from our campus.
Barring emergencies, Summit's responsibility for medical care is limited to diagnosis, evaluation, and referral by our own medical staff. Further medical care, including choice of treatment and further attendant costs (such as doctors' fees, lab work, and prescriptions), is the responsibility of parents.
All medications are stored in our infirmary, which is a secure facility. Children are not permitted to keep any medications in their possession. This rule applies to over-the-counter medications as well as prescription drugs; both are held and dispensed by the infirmary.
If a doctor not affiliated with Summit recommends medication for a child, professional practice requires that we have a written order from that doctor for that medication before we can dispense it to the child. Such an order may take the form of a prescription or a letter, but it must state the child's diagnosis, the reason for the medication and directions for dispensing.Some children at Summit take psychotropic medications. The main emphasis of our treatment program is on interactions between the child, other children, and staff in all areas of daily life, not on drugs. However, from time to time a child may be so confused, anxious, or depressed that he or she needs the addition of psychotropic medication in order to be safely managed or to benefit fully from the Summit program.
The decision to start or continue a regimen of psychotropic medication at Summit is the responsibility of one of our psychiatrists (who becomes the prescribing physician) and the parents (who must approve the decision).
All prescribed medications are prepared and administered by registered nurses.ĂSBefore the first dose of any medication is administered to a child, the physician or the socialworker will contact the family by telephone to explain the purpose for the prescription and to secure their permission to administer the medication.
We do not permit children to travel with medication.ĂSIf your child takes daily medication, please call the infirmary before a home visit to make arrangements for a continued supply.