The Basics
Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare serves residents of 17 counties in North Florida and South Georgia and probably a whole lot of tourists. Created in April 1948 by six men and women, this private, acute care hospital grew muscles like Superman and boasts 772 beds today. The hospital itself employs staff of every specialty, from trauma services to clinical genetics to cancer treatment. Tallahassee Memorial’s Behavioral Health Center is on the north side of campus, offering mental health and substance abuse services that include detox, short-term inpatient stabilization and different levels of outpatient care.
Accommodations and Food
The hospital campus is in the Northeast section of Tallahassee, which is known for having many neighborhoods within its city limits. Tallahassee Memorial is in the suburb of Terrace Park, a mile from Highway 61. The hospital buildings are all white and surrounded by green; the Behavioral Health Center has its own wing. There are 60 beds total, divided into four units, only one of which focuses on clients with substance abuse issues. All rooms are semi-private, gender-specific typical hospital rooms with en suite bathrooms and TVs. Inpatient clients are served three meals a day in the hospital cafeteria; only serious dietary needs can be accommodated. There’s no smoking allowed on the hospital campus, and that includes e-cigarettes.
Treatment and Staff
Tallahassee Memorial offers inpatient medical detox for alcohol and benzodiazepine (Valium, Xanax and Klonopin) abuse only. The hospital operates under the belief that withdrawal from other substances (like opiates) is not life threatening, so detoxing from these happens on an outpatient basis. To this end, Suboxone maintenance programs are available.
There is no standard 28-day residential treatment program for substance abuse, although some clients with co-occurring disorders stay at the hospital on a short-term basis following detox—this could mean a few days, or a week— and 24-hour nursing care is still available to them. Inpatient clients meet with a psychiatrist and are prescribed medication if necessary, and then meet with a psychologist for individual therapy. Group therapy includes educational groups about addiction and processing as well as music therapy, expressive arts and recreation. Tallahassee Memorial believes in incorporating 12-step philosophy into recovery, so there are on-site meetings available.
Once inpatient clients are discharged, they have the option of joining the Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), which is offered for one month, Monday through Friday. Groups meet every evening, between 5:20 and 9:30 pm, in the hopes of reducing work and family conflicts. Some groups are educational and others are oriented to discussions about changing habits and attitudes and to processing emotions. Appointments with a counselor can be arranged in this window, or at times convenient to the client. Individual work with that counselor often continues after the four weeks of IOP are up. Clients receive mandatory drug testing during this phase.
Most IOP clients scale down to standard outpatient after their month of rigorous work, but beginning at a basic outpatient level is also an option, depending on the needs of the client. Standard outpatient care is a once a week commitment to a support group and clients can participate as long as necessary.
In terms of staff, clients in the addiction program at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare have access to psychiatrists, psychologists, LSWs and accredited substance abuse counselors.
Extras
As mentioned, inpatient clients are treated to music and art therapy and recreation groups. Once a week, Tallahassee Memorial also hosts an open depression and bi-polar support group in the hospital cafeteria. Though there is no specific family program, families can arrange for therapy with a counselor at the client’s behest. Clients have the option of arranging for multiple individual therapy sessions a week in order to accommodate themselves and their loved ones.
In Summary
So many people suffering from addiction today are discovering they also need dual diagnosis support, making treatment at a behavioral health clinic that much more appealing, due to the abundance of resources. Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare is a major hospital facility, with 772 beds and thousands of clients in and out every day; still the behavioral health center is comparatively small, so though these are busy environs, clients with co-occurring issues like mood and mental health disorders may benefit from the sheer number of psychiatrists on staff. Still, this is not a place that’s ideal for clients looking to spend a month or more in a residential program.
Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare
Behavioral Health Center
1616 Physicians Dr
Tallahassee, FL 32308
Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Cost: Depends on program (30 days). Reach Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare by phone at (850)-431-1155. Find Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest
Do you have a complaint or review of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare to add? Use the comments area below to add your Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare review.
Sponsored DISCLAIMER: This is a paid advertisement for California Behavioral Health, LLC, a CA licensed substance abuse treatment provider and not a service provided by The Fix. Calls to this number are answered by CBH, free and without obligation to the consumer. No one who answers the call receives a fee based upon the consumer’s choice to enter treatment. For additional info on other treatment providers and options visit www.samhsa.gov.
