06-1011 - City of Des Moines

Health Care:
All area hospitals in Polk County are accredted by JCAHO (Joint Commssion on the Accreditation
of Health Care Organzations. Primar Health Care, Inc. and the standads set fort by the
Commssion require all organtions to have a set plan of care which moves along a continuum
from entr and assessment, to plang, treatment and coordiation to referral, trfer of care and
discharge. Simlar to the statewide discharge plan, the members of the Polk County Housing
Contiuum have adopted the followig priciples related to discharge from health organations.
. Individual Discharge Planning. Discharge plang begi at the point of entr with
involvement from the consumer or the designated others. Owership of the plan is increased
when the consumer, as well as, the signficant others) is involved.
. Collaboratig and Partnerig. Effective discharge plang processes are the diect result
of reliable parerhips and collaborations. Members of the Contiuum li with varous
other health care organations to create the best possible discharge plan and to avoid some
of the curent uran trends, such as patient dumping or release to the streets.
. Trackig and Monitorig. Utilition of an al-ecompassing management inormtion
sysem undersores an effective discharge plang proces, by improvig communcaon,
faciltatig access to resoures, and trkig completion of the discharge plan.
The Iowa Council on Homelessnes fied a formal discharge policy and submitted it to the
Governor in 2005. The proposed policy recmmendations address discharge plang for a varety
of populations at risk of becmig homeless, includig those who are to be releaed from publicfuded
medcal and substace abuse treatment facilties and recmmends that each state deparent
be intrcted to implement a discharge protocol based on gudig pricipals tht would make every
effort to ine that the discharge does not result in the person becmig homeless.
Discussions are now tag place with the Governors Executive Council regardig implementig a
policy based on these pricipals and staff
has been intrcted to prepare a letter diecting all state
deparents to implement a Formal Protocol. We anticipate completion before July, 2007. To kee
local contiuum members abreat of
the trends and the progress, we will conduct tring sessions
concerg discharge plang at each of our anual meetings, begig Janua, 2007.
Mental Health:
Some area mental health organations are also accredted by the Joint Commssion, as well as
governed by state statutes for all asects of mental health care in Iowa town and counties. In those
cases, the intitutions must adhere to a discharge plang process simlar to the one listed above.
Those not involved with JCAHO are requied to follow Iowa statute:
1. Mental Health Chapters 229.3 and 229.16
2. Mental Retadation Chapters 222.15
3. Psychiatrc Chapters 225.27
Mental Health Chapters 226.19
Members of the Polk County Housing Continuum are conducting fuer study into Mental Health
discharge planng in Polk County. From that study, it is anticipated that the Commttee members
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