Mental Health Services

Here you will find information primarily for persons with friends or loved ones who are residents of Northeast Florida State Hospital.

The following paragraphs explain the Visitation Rules and Schedules, Code of Behavior while visiting and information about the Hospitality House for extended visits.

If you are planning a visit, please review this information to ensure your visit is a pleasant one. If you should have any further questions about visitation, rules, and/or schedules, please contact the Community and Resident Relations Department at (904) 259-6211, extension 1158.

Hospital Rules And Procedures For Visitors

1. Visiting hours are:
   Monday - Friday, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
   Weekends and Holidays, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. and any two hours between 1:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
2. Families of individuals who are listed as critical in the acute care facility (Shady Oaks/3C and 2F in building 12) may visit at any time, as approved by the Service Team.
   
3. Minors, as defined by Florida Statute, are permitted as visitors only under the supervision of an adult and must have approval prior to visiting.
   
4. All visitors will stop at the visitor’s information booth, at the main entrance, where security personnel will log in the name of each person, the time of their arrival, and the Unit/Living Area they intend to visit. The visitor will be issued a visitor's pass.
   
5. No visitor may bring cameras or video cameras to the campus, unless the visitor signs, in advance, the proper authorization form.
   
6. No visitor may bring alcoholic beverages, drugs, or weapons to the campus. Violators may be subject to arrest.
   
7. No tobacco products of any kind are allowed. NEFSH is a Tobacco Free Environment.
   
8. No visitor may give cash to persons served. All cash, money orders & checks must be deposited into the persons account. NEFSH is a Cashless Society. Residents are not allowed to have cash on their person, tokens are used in place of cash while residents are in the hospital.
   
9. Visitors and residents will be allowed access to a designated visitor’s room, lobby, or area; respecting the right to reasonable privacy of communication, dependent upon the physical construction of the building, and availability of a private area.
   
10. No visitor shall be allowed to routinely enter the general living area. This includes hallways, sitting rooms, bedrooms, chart room, storage room, etc., except in the case of a critical resident in the Lemonwood Village where visitors may be allowed access to the resident's bedroom as necessary.
    
11. Visitors shall not have access to medical records without a properly signed authorization presented to the medical records custodian and may only review these records subject to provisions established by law.
    
12. Residents with full access to grounds may be allowed to visit outside the residential area with authorized visitors.
    
13. Each living area will maintain a visitor’s log to include name, address, and relationship of each individual visiting the resident.
    
14. Day passes, based on a written physician's order, will be maintained on the living area chart and the original given to the responsible party.

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Hospitality House

It is the hospital's policy to provide a limited number of inexpensive apartments for the convenience of the visitors of residents so that visitation trips that require an overnight stay may be less costly.

Reservations:

1. Requests for reservations must be made by telephone at extension 1248 during regular work hours of 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, or submitted in writing to the Community and Resident Relations Department, Northeast Florida State Hospital, 7487 South State Road 121 MACCLENNY, FLORIDA 32063-9777. The room may not be available without advance reservations. Requests should not be made through other Northeast Florida State Hospital staff members.
2. Reservations will be confirmed, on a space available basis, via telephone, not through other staff or residents.
3. Reservations will not be made for more than two (2) consecutive nights with a maximum usage of three (3) nights per month unless approved by the Community and Resident Relations Director. Out-of-state visitors may stay up to five (5) nights. There is no limit for visitors of terminally ill or hospice residents.
4. Any person who makes a reservation and fails to keep the reservation or to properly cancel the reservation, may not be afforded the opportunity to reserve the Hospitality House in the future.

Check-In/Registration:

1. Upon arrival, all visitors are required to sign-in with the Security Officer at the front entrance gate.
2. Persons who have reserved the apartment are to proceed to the Switchboard Operator's Office (front desk) in Administration Building One. ALL VISITORS must complete the Hospitality House Rules Agreement Form, in its entirety, and pay the daily $10.00 room fee by cash, check, or money order payable to Northeast Florida State Hospital. The Switchboard Operator will place the money in a designated envelope and deposit the envelope in the drop box. Bank employees check this box on a daily basis.
3. Rooms will be ready for occupancy at 3:00 p.m.

Check-Out:

1. Occupants must vacate the Hospitality House no later than 11:00 a.m. on the last day of their stay.
2. Occupants must lock door when leaving.
3. Occupants are to return the room key to the Switchboard Operator in Building One. If a key is lost or stolen, the occupant will report this to the operator and pay a lost key fee of $5.00.
4. If occupants do not pay the $5.00 lost key fee, they may not be afforded future usage.

Code of Behavior:

1. No resident of Northeast Florida State Hospital is allowed in the Hospitality House. There are no exceptions. Violation of this policy may prohibit future usage.
2. No alcoholic beverages, illegal drugs, firearms, or deadly weapons may be brought to the Hospitality House. Persons who do so are in violation of Chapter 394.458, Florida Statues, and may be subject to prosecution.
3. No pets are allowed in the Hospitality House.
4. No cooking is permitted in the Hospitality House.
5. No smoking and no tobacco products of any kind are allowed. NEFSH is a Tobacco Free Environment
6. Lights and the television are to be turned off when not in use.