Step 3: Share Your Story with Your Bleeding Disorder Treatment Team and Encourage Them to Contact BD SUMHAC
Your bleeding disorder (BD) treatment team can help advocate on your behalf, educate the inpatient and residential treatment facilities about BD, and serve as an important resource to the staff throughout your stay. During the conversation with your BD treatment team, share all of the information gathered in step 2. In addition:
1. Share that this is not an isolated incident. People with BD across the country have been denied access to behavioral health facilities.
2. Ask them to advocate on your behalf by coordinating with your referring provider and contacting the facility to encourage them to reconsider your admission.
3. Share BD SUMHAC’s resources detailed below and ask them to contact BD SUMHAC for additional assistance and resources.
Resource Alert: For Your Providers
Share these materials with your referring provider and your BD treatment team:
Background on the issue of people with BD being denied access to behavioral health facilities: If your provider is unfamiliar with the issue of people with BD being denied access to BD facilities, this is a good place to start.
The BD SUMHAC Provider Toolkit: This is a comprehensive guide for assisting providers in referring people with BD to behavioral health facilities and can facilitate admission.
Educational resource for inpatient/residential behavioral health facility staff: This resource was designed for you or your provider to share with the behavioral health treatment facility to educate them and dispel any fear and misconceptions about BD.
Draft letter from the bleeding disorder provider to the treatment facility regarding stability: This is a draft letter that your provider can edit and share with the behavioral health treatment facility to assure them that you are medically stable and your condition should not preclude you from admission.