Quality Care
We spoke to Dr. Vikrum Tarugu, a highly reputed gastroenterologist and the CEO of Detox of South Florida, a detox facility based in the rural town of Okeechobee, about the prevalence of treatment centers in Florida. Is the Florida sunshine really that therapeutic? According to Dr. Tarugu, it’s not just the weather that’s helping addicts heal. “I think it goes back in history because Florida was one of the places which initially started addiction treatment,” he says. “And what happened later on is people started recognizing that Florida had great doctors and great counselors who were well versed with addiction medicine.”
So when one begs the question, which came first for Florida, the addiction or the treatment? It’s clear the quality treatment was first and foremost the building block. Florida often gets press for the antics of its citizenry but addiction is rampant all over the country. In fact, Dr. Tarugu confirms the majority of his facility’s clients are from out of state. “It’s about 70% out of state, 30% in state. Florida somehow attracts from everywhere.” Keeping a high level of quality treatment that garners success continues to beckon those who are struggling with substance abuse. “We maintain high standards, cater to rural people and have three doctors on site if necessary. We treat people for Hepatitis C, which not many rehabs treat.”
More Facilities, More Routes to Recovery
Also worth noting, as the addiction field continues to expand and improve, individualized treatment is becoming more the norm, and Florida treatment facilities often showcase its merits. Dr. Tarugu has found it to be most beneficial in his own work at Detox of South Florida. “We don’t just put them on meds. We offer amino acids—it makes it easy on them to come off the drugs faster without significant effect,” he observes. “We don’t offer the same kind of protocol for everybody. Depending on their usage or length of usage, we change the protocol.”
Most certainly a benefit to seeking help in a state with such a variety of treatment facilities, doctors and counselors try to determine what’s best for each individual client. Medically supervised detox and IV Amino Acid Therapy are the key components of the programming at Detox of South Florida, which offers both outpatient and short-term inpatient tracks. As Dr. Tarugu points out, not everyone necessarily needs residential detox. “For some people who are inclined to stay for more residential therapy, we do offer that and it’s about one to two weeks then they go into the rehab process, PHP or IOP. That depends on the counselors; the majority of the time, it’s the counselors’ decision.” And a lot of facilities in the state adopt what’s become known as “The Florida Model,” wherein clients live in a controlled, sober environment facilitated by the rehab, but that’s separate from the clinical location where they’re receiving treatment.
A case-by-case treatment process also applies to some of the addiction world’s often-debated facets. Twelve-step has long been the go-to for treating alcoholism but more and more addiction specialists are agreeing, it’s not for everyone. Dr. Tarugu confirms, “We do offer 12-step; we don’t enforce it.”
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) isn’t for everyone either. While Dr. Tarugu does not facilitate it at Detox of South Florida, he has enough experience in the field to acknowledge that it’s sometimes necessary. “We don’t have MAT at this time but I do believe somewhat in MAT because it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach for addiction, where it’s only trying to get rid of the medication and go through rehab,” Dr. Targu tells us. “Some people do need Methadone or Suboxone to maintain their sobriety and prevent relapses.”
Florida Keeps People Shining
Whether it’s the tropical (and yes, very humid) climate, the myriad treatment options or just the mindset that one has arrived in the country’s epicenter for recovery, Florida gets rehab right. Dr. Targu agrees. “I think it’s that Florida did a good job in recognizing that addiction was a problem and they started this approach, and they somehow had good doctors, attracted good people into the business and that brought in the good name.” Disneyworld and recovery certainly are the worst things a state could be known for.
Want to learn more about Detox of South Florida? Reach Detox of South Florida by phone at (863) 623-4923 or by email. Find Detox of South Florida on Facebook, Twitter and Google+