LOS ANGELES COUNTY
DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH
  Policy 304.04 Transportation of Clients and Their Family
 
  PROCEDURES
  1. DMH workforce members shall:
     
    1. Ensure that provision of transportation services are clinically appropriate.
       
    2. Exhaust all other clinically appropriate transportation options (e.g., client relatives, friends, ambulance, public transportation, taxi, Dial-a-Ride, etc.).
       
    3. Encourage client recovery goals for independence and problem solving for transportation.
       
  2. Clinicians shall assess and determine clinical safety to transport clients/family to ensure that:
     
    1. The client is voluntarily willing to be transported to the indicated destination.
       
    2. The client is sufficiently cooperative, non-combative, and communicative with the team.
       
      1. Law enforcement personnel or ambulance-based restraint is not necessary for safe transport.
         
  3. A supervisor shall:
     
    1. Approve the transport.
       
    2. Assess the need for more than one (1) DMH workforce member.
       
  4. If a client’s behavior becomes unmanageable or refuses to follow instructions in the course of any transport, DMH workforce member shall:
     
    1. Stop the vehicle in a safe area;
       
    2. Immediately call 911; and 
       
    3. Contact the supervisor.
       
  5. If an incident occurs during the client transport, the DMH workforce member shall:
     
    1. Contact the Program Manager.
       
    2. File a written incident report consistent with DMH incident reporting procedures (Policy 109.01).