Drug and Alcohol Helpline

Archive for February, 2011

A Review of Valley Healthcare Systems in West Virginia

Valley HealthCare System has been around since 1969 and was founded by West Virginia University. In 1972 after Valley Counseling Service affiliated with The Human Resource Association they merged as Valley Community Mental Health Services. At one time Valley was a small counseling center that was located at the University building in their basement. They have grown into a large comprehensive behavioral health program that serves multiple counties.

Throughout the years, Valley has expanded their program which includes services for people with disabilities, people with developmental disabilities, mental health issues, and for individuals with problems stemming from chemical dependency. Valley is a nonprofit organization that’s making a huge positive difference in the lives of the people in the counties of Monongalia, Marion, Preston and Taylor.

Chemical Dependency is one of the remarkable services Valley offers which includes adolescent outpatient service, adult outpatient service, and residential treatment services. Descriptions of Valley’s Chemical Dependency services that are offered are listed below.

Outpatient Services for Adolescents

  1. Substance abuse counseling for addiction and recovery.
  2. Counseling is offered for the children of addicts and alcoholics.
  3. Screening and consultation is part of Valley’s adolescent outpatient service.
  4. Valley offers a wellness program and counseling service which is provided in the school.
  5. ROPES is a challenge course which includes therapeutic team building activities.
  6. Hiking, camping, and horseback riding are among the experiential therapy activities integrated in their outpatient services for adolescents.

Outpatient Services for Adults

  1. Substance abuse counseling for addiction and recovery
  2. The adult outpatient program includes counseling for individuals that are co-dependent, adult children of addicts and alcoholics, and members of the family.
  3. DUI Services education and intervention.
  4. Public Intoxication education and intervention.
  5. Drug and Alcohol assessments including recommendations for treatment.
  6. Intensive adult outpatient programs join together weekly for 9 hours, 3 days a week.
  7. Screening and consultation is part of Valleys adult outpatient service.
  8. ROPES is a challenge course which includes therapeutic team building activities.
  9. Educational lectures are included in adult outpatient services.
  10. Valley’s Residential Services for Chemical Dependency.
  11. Alpha Chemical Dependency Treatment Unit.

This is a community based addiction treatment residential program for adult men and women who are chemically dependent. This program addresses the mental, social, physical and spiritual areas of recovery from dependency.

New Beginnings Extended Care Program for Women

This is an extended care program for adult women who are chemically dependent. The program focuses on problems associated with substance abuse for women and their needs during recovery. This is a voluntary program that lasts for 12 weeks but can vary depending on the needs of the individual resident.

Valley HealthCare System in West Virginia is improving their community’s health because they deliver the highest quality behavior health care which is directed towards their client’s needs!

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A Review of Aldersgate Youth Service Bureau in Pennsylvania

Aldersgate is a non for profit organization with multiple programs that serves their community offering counseling, education for substance abuse and the prevention of substance abuse, community outreach and foster care. It’s extremely obvious that Aldersgate cares about their community and young people doing everything they can to promote a healthy and safe environment for everyone.

Aldersgate Aldersgate Youth Service Bureau in Pennsylvania has been around for more than 35 years, and their staff consists of more than 25 highly skilled professionals that are dedicated to providing the highest level of care possible to their community. Currently Aldersgate is a youth and family social service agency. They provide services to the residents of Montgomery, Philadelphia and Bucks counties.

Services Offered by Aldersgate

ASPIRE which is an Alternative Structured Program that promotes Individual Responsibility and Education. This program is constructed to help individuals that are under the age of 21 with education related to alcohol and/or other drug related offenses. Legal and personal issues are addressed for each individual participant. This program consists of 6 sessions, an individual meeting, 4 group meetings with other participants and 1 family session.

Counseling Services Offered

  1. Individual, family, and marital counseling
  2. Counseling focuses on ways to develop stronger self-esteem
  3. Developing positive communication skills
  4. Getting the best out of relationships
  5. Parenting issues
  6. Anger management
  7. Behavioral issues that are school related
  8. Substance abuse subjects and concerns

Preventing Substance Abuse Program

Preventing substance abuse is taken very seriously by Aldersgate Youth Service Bureau and they work hard with the schools and community in reducing and the prevention of substance abuse among the children and their youth. There are specific areas they target, reducing the intended use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs among the elementary students and middle and high school students. Aldersgate has designed special classroom and community activities which encourage children, teens, young adults and families to lead a healthy and drug free life.

Substance Abuse Alternatives (SAA)

SAA is a very unique educational opportunity for teenagers that have been cited for underage drinking violations for the first time. They offer a structured educational program that is curriculum based in a very relaxed and comfortable setting with their peers.

In this relaxed environment they explore alcohol and drug information which helps teens and young adults learn about peer pressure and other important issues that relate to alcohol and substance abuse. This program is straight forward giving facts associated with the serious dangers of substance abuse and the legal and physical consequences substance use entails. This program is designed for teens and young adults and offers important topics of information such as:

  1. Legal Issues and Consequences
  2. Effects of Alcohol on Human Physiology
  3. Effects of Drugs other than Alcohol
  4. Progression of Substance Abuse
  5. Healthy coping and problem solving skills
  6. AIDS and other STD Education
  7. The effect of substance abuse on families

Foster Care Program

Aldersgate also has a foster care program which provides placement that is safe for children that are unable to live with their birth parents associated with abuse or neglect. Ongoing counseling and support is also provided to the children and families, this is extremely important and is a necessity for everyone involved. Aldersgate makes every effort to reunite each child with their birth families if at all possible.

School Based Programs

Aldersgate works with school districts in the area providing school-based mental health support to identified students, their families and the community. Counseling is provided to students in their classrooms, one-on-one counseling or in small group sessions. Some of the reasons students are referred to Aldersgate includes; low self-esteem issues, socializing and peer related problems, poor performance academically, poor attendance in school, negative behavior in school, anxiety that is school related, personal loss and grief issues, family stress and anger management.

Aldersgate also participates with members of a Student Assistance Program referred to as SAP. Counseling that is school-based helps students understand and over-come problems related to drug and alcohol issues, troublesome behavior, academic failure, behavior that is self-destructive, depression and other mental health concerns as well as truancy.

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A Review of Weems Mental Health Alcohol Abuse Program in Mississippi

In 1970 Weems Community Mental Health Center started out with 30 employees through 9 countries and is now an organization that employs over 225 employees and has over 200,000 clients every year. They have a huge range of services they offer now, they started out as basic outpatient mental health counseling. Now they offer more structured services which includes:

  1. Children’s Day Treatment Programs
  2. Employee Assistance Programs
  3. Residential and Intensive Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment
  4. Services for the elderly

Even though their Mental Health Facility has grown their mission hasn’t changed. They are always working to improve the emotional health of their local communities. The emotional health and well-being of their community and clients is what’s important at Weems Community Mental health Center.

The staff at Weems Mental Health Center in Mississippi understands just how difficult it is today for people when it comes to stress, depression and other mental health disorders, family problems, children’s issues and substance abuse. Weems provides a range of outpatient services for their clients including health services for children, adolescents and adults.

These services include mental health therapy, medication evaluation and management, case management and more. Outpatient and residential treatment for substance abuse and addiction programs are also available at Weems Mental Health.

Weems offers treatment for alcohol and substance use disorders that are professional and cost-effective. Treatment programs at Weems cover a variety of problems associated with substance abuse. It’s important to address substance abuse problems when they first start to arise; their treatment programs address these problems as well as problem issues associated with addiction and dependency.

Programs offered at Weems incorporates the 12 Step program and they are certified by the Mississippi Department of Mental health.

Weems LifeCare Information for Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment Services

This is a 30 day Residential Treatment Program for substance use disorders Weems makes available to men and women who are 18 years of age and older. Their Extended Treatment Program allows clients to go beyond their inpatient 30 day program. With this program their clients are able to work during the day. Their clients are able to stay up to 60 days in their three quarter way program. Funding is made available for clients that are eligible through the Mississippi Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.

An Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)

This program consists of 3 group meetings a week for 10 consecutive weeks that takes place after business hours. This allows people the ability to keep their normal work schedule for the most part. Weems LifeCare also offers individual counseling because it’s an essential part of their Intensive Outpatient Program. The individual’s initial assessment determines their eligibility for the Intensive Outpatient Program. Those eligible for this program can’t have dependency and they have to be able to abstain from using substances during the program.

Aftercare services are provided for 2 years at no charge to those individuals that have completed primary treatment. Weems LifeCare also provides treatment for many drug courts, the Recovering Nurses Program through the Mississippi Board of Nursing and the Veterans Administration.

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A Review of Adult Addiction Clinic in Maryland

The Department of Health in Maryland provides their residents with education, referrals, screenings and treatment when needed in order to help them stay as healthy as they can be. Their Behavioral Health Bureau focuses on the health and wellbeing of their residents by assessing problems and promoting behavioral health through education, prevention and treatment.

There are 3 major programs offered by the Bureau which includes Adolescent and Family Services, Adult Addiction Services, and Community Treatment Services. They also administer grants that provide services for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence and for children who are grieving due to the loss of a family member.

Adult Addiction Services

Adult Addiction Clinic in Maryland is a clinic that provides outpatient treatment programs for adults that have formed addictions to narcotic drugs like heroin. Their treatment program offers buprenorphine and methadone which is combined with individual, group and family counseling.

The program at Adult Addiction Clinic also includes education on drugs and alcohol, urinalysis for drugs, medical exams and screenings for tuberculosis, hepatitis and HIV which is the virus that causes AIDS. If immunizations are needed by an adult they make sure they receive them. They will also make referrals if there are any other services needed for their patients.

Any resident of Anne Arundel County that has a dependency to narcotic drugs needs to call and get their eligibility Ok’d. Fees for services are determined on a sliding scale which is based on the family’s income.

Community Treatment Services

Their Department of Health’s Community Treatment Service Program works with their criminal justice system and community agencies focusing substance abuse. Their focus is on stopping the abuse of substances and the effects that substance abuse has on criminal activity, health care, employment, parenting and other concerns. They have an Assessment and Referral program that provides:

  1. Substance abuse assessments
  2. Arranges funding for the treatment of substance abuse if the client qualifies
  3. They coordinate admissions for their clients and make referrals to providers

They have an Opportunity for Treatment Fund that provides:

  1. Financial assistance grants for residents who qualify and meet specific guidelines and require help paying for substance abuse treatment.
  2. Pays for treatment by community treatment providers.
  3. This fund also monitors treatment providers making sure clients receive high quality and appropriate care.

Substance Abuse Services/Re-Entry provides:
This service helps offenders and ex-offenders get prepared to enter back into society after their incarceration. Substance abuse education classes, substance abuse assessments and pre-release treatment planning are provided in this program.

Adolescent and Family Services

This service provides outpatient mental health and addiction services to county children and adolescents that are 5 years of age up to 18 years of age and their families. Treatment for Substance Abuse and Addiction services are offered to children 12 years of age to 17 who have problems that are related to the use of chemicals and dependency.

These services include individual, group and family counseling, drug and alcohol assessments, urine screening and information and referral. These fees are based on a sliding scale which is based on the family’s income.

Prevention and Education Services

Behavioral Health’s Prevention and Education Services provides several programs that focus on prevention and education associated with alcohol and drug use. The programs are meant to increase awareness of the nature and extent of drug and alcohol abuse as well as violence in the County. These programs include:

  1. Presentations, Training and Exhibits
  2. The Community Grants Program
  3. The Strengthening Families Program
  4. Project Alert
  5. Second Step Preschool
  6. Guiding Good Choices

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