Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks Review
Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks was founded in 1935 in Fayetteville, Arkansas as a health services provider for veterans. 10 years ago the hospital opened a mental health department, which operates a substance abuse program for adult men and women. The substance abuse program is free to veterans who have been honorably discharged. Veterans offers an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) but clients are required to live in the program’s transitional house while in treatment so it’s more of an outpatient/inpatient hybrid.
Accommodations and Food
While in the program, residents stay in a house in Rogers, Arkansas. The house accommodates both men and women clients and can hold up to 15 people at a time. The rooms are a mixture of double and triple rooms with residents sleeping in twin beds.
Although the house does not have a fitness room, residents go on runs in the neighborhood and are actively involved in the planning and maintenance of the house’s garden.
Veterans provides breakfast and lunch at the hospital where the treatment takes place. The food is served buffet style in a cafeteria. The menu is set, however Veteran’s chefs will accommodate dietary restriction or specifications. Clients also prepare their own dinner at the Rogers house.
Although residents are allowed to have cell phones, the house permits residents from having computers, laptops and iPads. Residents are regularly drug tested and breathalyzed. Also, Veterans has an assigned staff member to monitor all client medications.
Treatment and Staff
The intake process at Veterans begins with an initial meeting between the client and a counselor. If the client is unstable, they are referred to a medical detox program at Veteran’s psychological inpatient unit. The detox usually lasts for three to five days, but can go longer based on the needs of the client.
Veterans’ IOP lasts for 28 days and client meet Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm. The program consists of both group and individual therapy.
On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, clients have two separate long group meetings and have four 90-minute group meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The intensity and amount of individual therapy is based on the needs of the client. The groups vary in their topics and focus. Some of the discussions offered include, relapse prevention, meditation, healthy relationships and psychoeducation.
Veterans incorporates the 12 steps into the groups and refer clients to outside AA and NA meetings in the evenings. The counselors use CBT in the group meetings and aim some of this treatment directly at addressing cognitive issues in clients with PTSD.
Veterans has three LCSWs and two addiction therapists on staff as counselors. The substance abuse program is dual diagnosis, and Veterans has a psychiatrist on staff who provides psychiatric evaluations and medication to clients.
Extras
Veterans offers a family program to clients who request and want their family to be involved in their treatment. In these meetings, counselor meets with the family and the client and they discuss addiction and healing issues. Family members are given homework, which consists of different exercises geared at helping with communicating with the client.
Although Veterans does not have an official aftercare program, it does refer clients to outside outpatient programs if they still need treatment when they step down.
In Summary
Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks is a solid, affordable option for veteran clients in need of comprehensive addiction treatment in the Fayetteville area. The low amount of clients in the groups offers the clients a high level of individual attention. The mental health infrastructure at Veterans and focus on dealing with clients who have PTSD, allows clients with co-occurring disorders a great deal of support while in the program.
Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks Location
1100 College Ave
Fayetteville, AR 72703
Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks Cost
Free with honorable discharge. Reach Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks by phone at (479) 443-4301. Find Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks on Facebook and Google+
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Photo courtesy of Fayetteville VA Medical Center via Flickr [CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)] (resized and cropped)
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.
