LOS ANGELES COUNTY
DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH
  Policy 352.15 Patient's Own Medications

(Formerly # 306.19)

 
Policy Category:  Clinical
Distribution Level:  Directly Operated
Responsible Party:  Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee
 
Approved by Curley L. Bonds, MD, Chief Medical Officer, on May 25, 2023
I.  PURPOSE
 
Establishes procedures for the handling of patient’s own medications in Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH) directly operated clinics.
 
II.  DEFINITIONS
 
Patient’s Own Medications: Medications brought into a DMH directly operated facility that are dispensed by retail pharmacies for a specific patient.
 
III.  POLICY
 
Patient’s own medications shall be stored in a locked, secure area and not accessible to patients or unauthorized staff per DMH Policy 306.18 Medication Storage.
 
Patient’s own medications shall only be given to the prescribed patient. Under no circumstances shall anyone administer one patient’s medication to a different patient. Medication administration shall be in accordance with DMH Policy 306.16 Medication Administration.
 
Expired patient’s own medications that are stored at directly operated clinics shall be disposed of in accordance with DMH Policy 306.15 Expired Medication and Device Disposal.
 
Clinic nurses, psychiatric technicians, or psychiatrists shall accept prescription refills and shipment or delivery of refills from retail pharmacies only if refills have been requested by the patient or clinic staff when supplies are depleted.

No more than a six-week supply of the patient’s own medications shall be stored in the clinic medication room except for the following medications:
  • Invega Trinza - 3-month supply permitted = 1 dose
  • Invega Hafyera - 6-month supply permitted = 1 dose
  • Aristada 1064 mg - 2-month supply permitted = 1 dose
Only clinic nurses or psychiatric technicians, after checking existing stock, shall sign-off prescription receipts.
 
IV.  PROCEDURES
 
V.  AUTHORITIES
 
VI.  ATTACHMENTS
 
No attachments are associated with this policy.