Who This Page Is For
Community health workers, patient navigators and outreach staff are often the first to notice that a client has no regular doctor, has fallen behind on a chronic condition, or seems worn down. This page explains how to connect an adult client with care.
You do not need to choose a practice; we route each referral to the right one.
Body and Mind Go Together
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) explains that people living with a chronic disease have a higher risk of depression, and that depression can raise the risk of some chronic diseases, in part because it makes self-care and medical visits harder to keep up. People who have both tend to have worse symptoms of each.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that people with diabetes are two to three times as likely to have depression as people without diabetes. CDC also describes diabetes distress, the discouraged and worn-out feeling that daily diabetes care can bring, as common.
Both agencies say depression usually responds to treatment. A client who seems discouraged about a health condition may benefit from a conversation about mood as well as blood sugar or blood pressure.
What Each Practice Offers
Hope Medical Associates provides primary care, including care for diabetes, hypertension and COPD, the Medicare yearly wellness visit, and help establishing a primary care provider after a hospital stay.
Hope Behavioral Medicine provides psychiatric medication management and counseling for adults with anxiety, depression, ADHD, insomnia, PTSD, OCD, bipolar disorder and postpartum depression, in person in West Ashley and by video.
Hope Addiction Medicine provides medication-assisted treatment for opioid and alcohol use disorders. Treatment typically begins with an in-person assessment, followed by weekly in-person or virtual visits before moving to a monthly schedule, and each plan is tailored to the patient.
Hope Integrative Medicine offers primary care, mental health and addiction medicine with one coordinating team, for patients who want all their care coordinated.
Mental health care is available by video anywhere in South Carolina.
Making the Referral
With the client's permission, you can refer by phone, fax or form. Call and ask for referral intake, fax referral documentation, or use the online form on our referral page. The form gathers contact and routing details only, so send clinical notes by fax.
A faxed referral should include the patient's name, insurance, the reason for referral and any relevant clinical notes.
We typically contact the patient within two business days of a faxed referral, and initial evaluations are often able to be scheduled within a week of the request. If the patient needs to be seen sooner, call us.
Lab tests can be done at a lab of the patient's choice.
Our practices accept Medicare, most major commercial plans, and all South Carolina Medicaid managed care plans except Select Health (First Choice). Self-pay rates are also available.
Warning Signs That Need Help Now
NIMH lists warning signs of suicide that include talking about wanting to die or being a burden, feeling hopeless or trapped, withdrawing from people, giving away important things, and using alcohol or drugs more often. NIMH urges getting help as soon as possible, especially when a sign is new or getting worse.
Our practices are not an emergency service, and the referral form is not monitored for emergencies. For someone in crisis, call or text 988, and in immediate danger, call 911.