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DSH - Coalinga: Family and Friend Resources

This page is designed to answer basic questions for families and friends to support and communicate with the patients housed in our facility. Family and friends are encouraged to participate in the wellness, recovery and treatment planning process of the patients in our care.

Visiting a Patient

Please visit the hospital's visitor information page.

Depositing Funds for a Patient

DSH offers deposit services for family and friends of our patients to send funds to their accounts. Patients may use these funds for a wide range of purchases, including those at the facility’s commissary.

To deposit by mail:

Personal checks or money orders should be made payable to:

DSH-Coalinga for [patient name]

Example: DSH-Coalinga for John Doe

Please mail checks to:

Patients' Accounts
Dept. of State Hospitals-Coalinga
Trust Office
P.O. Box 5001
Coalinga, CA 93210-5001

Please note:

• The sender must include their name and address with all incoming funds.
• Cash or traveler's checks are not accepted and will be returned to the sender.

Other deposits

Select a language below to learn more about how to deposit funds online, by mobile app, by phone, or at an on-site terminal.

Select Language: English | Español (Spanish) | 한국인 (Korean) | Tagalog |
繁體中文 (Traditional Chinese) | Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)

The credit card deposit terminal is located in the administration building by the reception window.

Sending Mail and Packages to a Patient

We welcome family and friends to send mail and packages to patients. This section explains how to ensure your items reach a patient in a safe and timely manner.

All incoming mail and packages will be opened and searched for contraband by Hospital Police.

Please send mail and packages to:

[Patient Name] (include patient ID [example: CO#123456-7] and Unit number if known)
DSH - Coalinga
P.O. BOX 5003
Coalinga, CA 93210

All mail and packages must have a return address that includes the first and last name of the sender and a physical street address.

All sent or received items that do not fall under the definition of “mail,” constitute “packages." Mail is defined as paper documents sent in a standard, legal or special handling (priority mail, express mail, etc.) envelope with a weight of 16 ounces or less and thickness of a half inch or less.

Sending Packages

Patients can receive a limited number of packages per calendar quarter:

January-March: 3 packages
April-June: 3 packages
July-September: 3 packages
October-December: 4 packages

Please see the Statewide Contaband List and the Site-Specific Contraband List for items that are not allowed in patients' possession.

Packages shall not exceed 30 pounds in weight nor exceed the size limitations of 24 inches long, 19 inches wide, and 12 inches tall. Packages sent to the facility that are not within these limits shall be returned to the sender.

Calling a Patient

Patients may use the public telephone in their unit to make outgoing collect phone calls. A patient may also receive incoming calls to their unit if they or another patient is available to answer the public telephone.

Incoming Patient Unit Phones