Packing For Your Mental Health Hospital Stay

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Vista Detox/Dual Diagnosis Unit

Our goal at Vista del Mar Hospital is to provide the highest quality of healthcare to our patients. In order to do so, we have established some guidelines for your mental health hospital stay. Many of these guidelines are in response to mental health laws and regulations, and all of our guidelines seek to protect the safety of our patients. Please review the following guidelines to know what you can and cannot bring.

Please bring no more than three days worth of clothing for your inpatient stay.

  • Jacket or sweatshirt without strings
  • Comfortable, slip-on shoes or slippers
  • No revealing clothing (i.e., no spaghetti straps, bare midriffs, short skirts, shorts, overalls, waistlines below the belly button)
  • No strings, shoelaces, or inappropriate shirt logos; no sharp metal accents on clothing (this includes underwire bras).
  • Grooming supplies should be kept to a minimum and should not include alcohol ingredients, be in glass containers, or have glass mirrors.

Additional Recommendations

Foam earplugs are recommended as some roommates may snore (wax or hard plastic plugs are not allowed). Leisure materials such as books or word games are recommended but should not have spiral wires or metal rings.

  • All jewelry should be removed (including body piercings) as these will be removed on admission and returned at discharge.
  • Notify hospital of special bedtime needs, such as C-PAP, oxygen, elevation of the head of the bed, egg crate or air mattress, incontinence supplies, etc., before admission.
  • No electronic equipment, iPods, or musical instruments.
  • Be sure to find out what your patient code is and pass the information on to family, friends, and mental health professionals that you want to call or visit you. They will have to know your patient code in order to get in touch with you once you have been admitted.

Items That are Not Allowed

The following items are not allowed during your hospital stay and are considered to be contraband on all patient units at Vista del Mar Hospital. If a patient or visitor brings them in, they will be kept and stored until discharge:

  • Alcohol or any drug-related paraphernalia
  • Sharp objects such as razors, scissors, glass bottles, mirrors, picture frames, needles, pins, aluminum cans, spiral notebooks, keys, makeup pencil sharpeners, paper clips, hair clips, underwire bras, and any other item with sharp edges or which can be broken to create sharp edges
  • Shoelaces, belts, pantyhose, rope, headbands, ace bandages, clothing with drawstrings or long ties
  • Matches and lighters, aerosol cans or fireworks of any kind
  • Personal televisions, stereos, video games, CD players/recorders, boom boxes, computers, palm pilots, pagers, cell phones, any item with an electrical cord, etc.
  • Magazines, books, pictures or clothing items depicting drug or alcohol use, violence, racism, gangs, sexual situations or activities
  • Satanism or otherwise potentially offensive material, cameras, camcorders or any type of audio or visual recording device
  • Weapons of any kind, candles or incense, plastic bags, medications of any kind, and any other item deemed inappropriate or dangerous by the clinical staff.

Contact Vista Del Mar Behavioral Healthcare Hospital

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your hospital stay, feel free to contact us. We are committed to the rehabilitation of our patients and will answer any questions you have regarding our programs or facility. We look forward to hearing from you!