COE Admissions

Once a client has been accepted to the Center of Excellence, the admissions team will work with the member to schedule a date for admission, help arrange transportation, provide guidelines on what to expect and confirm financial terms.

Leading up to the member’s admission date, the team will check in daily with the member via phone to provide continued support and encouragement.

Members are responsible for transportation costs to and from the Center of Excellence. Members can travel by plane, train, bus or car drop-off. If traveling by plane, members can fly into any of three local airports: Baltimore-Washington International (BWI), Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) or Dulles International Airport (IAD).

Admissions staff will collect travel arrival information. Members should book a one-way ticket as length of stay varies depending on individual treatment plans.

If the client is arriving via airline or train, he/she will be met at the terminal or station by the Center of Excellence driver in an IAFF-marked van, transported to the treatment facility and checked in at the Administrative Building. Upon arrival at the treatment facility, each member will complete a nursing assessment, sign treatment consent forms, and receive a body search and contraband check.

The member will then be greeted by staff and peers, who will ensure that he/she feels welcome and acclimated.

Within three days of admission, your member will receive a thorough history and physical, psychiatric evaluation, biopsychosocial assessment and group orientation to the treatment program. Your member will also be assigned to a primary individual therapist. Members can begin attending group therapy and treatment programming as soon as they are medically cleared.

During the admission period, members will also meet the Center of Excellence outreach specialist and have the opportunity to opt in to an 18-month outcome measurement and aftercare monitoring program.

The following items are not permitted and will be confiscated as contraband:

Contraband items will be returned at discharge.

When your member first enters treatment, his/her focus is on recovery first and foremost. Members may or may not choose to speak with union or department officials while they are in treatment. If your member has signed a release of information (ROI) for treatment staff to communicate with you, you are welcome to call the staff for updates as needed.

Call the Center at (240) 681-6000 to leave a message for your member; staff will ensure the message is received by the client.

Please note that during the first 72 hours after admission, communication with union or department officials, friends and family is restricted.

This is a standard practice in residential psychiatric and rehabilitation facilities. The purpose of this period is to protect your member from the external stressors and distractions that can interfere with the member’s initial clinical assessment and adjustment to the treatment experience. Your member will be quickly embraced by his/her peers and a caring staff.

Cell phone use is a privilege and can be lost if rules are violated. All patient’s will have a 72-hour (three day) blackout period from all phone use effective upon arrival. Patients will be allowed to use a land line after beginning their clinical programming (unless a patient’s clinician or medical staff decides it might deter from treatment).

Once approved for cell phone use by their clinician or medical staff, patients will be able to use their cell phone on Mondays and two other weekdays. All privileges are subject to change. Cell phone use is to be limited to email/texting, bill paying and brief phone calls.