Recovery Brands, LLC
📍 3801 Miranda Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94304
📞 6506172734 Full profile & reviews Claim this listing
<p><strong>ABOUT VA PALO ALTO HEALTH CARE SYSTEM – FIRST STEP</strong></p> <p>The VA Palo Alto Health Care System runs three inpatient facilities and seven outpatient clinics in California's Bay Area. First Step, offered from the Menlo Park campus, offers <strong>residential treatment for male and female veterans struggling with substance use disorder.</strong> The rehab treats clients who misuse a variety of substances, including alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, and heroin. </p> <p>First Step <strong>does not provide medical care or detox</strong>, so in order to be eligible for the program clients must be medically stable and capable of self-care. First Step is one of the <a href="https://wwwdasis.samhsa.gov/webt/state_data/CA17.pdf" target="_blank">2.5 percent</a> of rehabs in California run by a federal agency, and one of the <a href="https://wwwdasis.samhsa.gov/webt/state_data/CA17.pdf" target="_blank">24.3 percent</a> that offer dedicated programming for veterans.</p> <p><strong>TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT</strong></p> <p>Clients receive comprehensive assessments and <strong>participate in individual counseling</strong>, group therapy, recovery planning, and psychoeducational groups. Upon completing the program, clients are encouraged to attend a <a href="http://www.recovery.org/topics/extended-recovery-programs/" target="_blank">weekly aftercare</a> group.</p> <p>Treatment at First Step is <strong>evidence-based and <a href="https://www.paloalto.va.gov/services/homeless/dom_training.asp" target="_blank">lasts 90 days</a></strong>. Programming integrates a variety of therapies, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy, which is used at <a href="https://wwwdasis.samhsa.gov/webt/state_data/CA17.pdf" target="_blank">50.3 percent</a> of California-based facilities, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and motivational interviewing (MI). </p> <p>The goal of the program is to <strong>teach personal responsibility and problem solving</strong> while helping clients build relationships and learn how to live a sober lifestyle.</p> <p><strong>STAFF CREDENTIALS</strong></p> <p>There is currently no information provided on the facility's website or otherwise regarding its treatment staff, however, the two alumni polled by Rehabs.com to date gave the center's staff mediocre ratings: the level of staff support provided received a two-star rating and a four-star rating, and the level of training found in individual counselors received a one-star rating and a three-star rating.</p> <p><strong>ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES</strong></p> <p>The <strong>30-bed facility</strong> is set on the peaceful, tree-lined campus of the VA Palo Alto hospital in Menlo Park. The two alumni polled by Rehabs.com to date gave the center a two-star rating and a four-star rating for its cleanliness, and ratings between one and three stars for its exercise and leisure options.</p> <p><strong>WHAT ALUMNI SAY</strong></p> <p>Of the two alumni polled by Rehabs.com to date, one would recommend First Step and the other would not. "All facilities I've experienced focus on personal responsibility," wrote positive reviewer Dave, who added that the center had saved his life, and gave the program four stars for the overall quality of its individual and group counseling. </p> <p>The other reviewer, writing anonymously, noted that they found the program unhelpful and didn't stop using until they started methadone treatment elsewhere. The reviewer gave the facility one star for its holistic offerings and two stars for the overall quality of its individual and group counseling.</p> <p>Secondary sites don't currently offer any feedback on First Step in particular, but they do provide <strong>mixed feedback, skewing positive, on the Menlo Park VA facility as a whole,</strong> with average ratings of 3.9 out of five stars based on 39 reviews on Google and 4.5 stars based on eight reviews on Yelp, plus three "not recommended" Yelp reviews for one, four, and five stars.<small class="footnote"><a target="_blank" href="#footnote-1"><sup>[1]</sup></a></small> <small class="footnote"><a target="_blank" href="#footnote-2"><sup>[2]</sup></a></small> </p> <p>More than one complaint cited unhelpful staff. "You just waiting your time at this clinic! You better OF going to emergency room or just see the right doctors. A punch of student in learning process. All they ask and tell you is go get insurance," Sam wrote in a typical comment on Google. And another reviewer complained of long wait times for appointments.</p> <p>But these comments were outnumbered by those offering <strong>high praise for the center's staff</strong>: "A great group of people that work with an entire team focusing on a full spectrum care. The VA Palo Alto, San Francisco and Menlo Park have been superb to me as well as many friends," Michael wrote in a representative review on Yelp.</p> <p><strong>FINANCING</strong></p> <p>According to the facility’s website, "eligibility for most VA benefits is based on discharge from active military service under other than dishonorable conditions." Some participants may have to cover a co-payment fee. In general, VA hospitals accepts federal insurance, such as TriCare, and private insurance plans. </p> <p><small class="footnote"><a target="_blank" href="#footnote-1"><sup>[1]</sup></a> <a href="https://www.google.com/search?ei=gB3uW-_HJo7J8AOY9pWYDA&q=VA+palo+alto+ca+menlo+park&oq=VA+palo+alto+ca+menlo+park&gs_l=psy-ab.3..33i22i29i30l4.19102.20726..21006...0.0..0.118.983.9j2......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j0i22i30.a_3rMsJ0Ez4#lrd=0x808fbb59af7401c9:0x7ddd9267f654829e,1,,," target="_blank">GoogleReviews</a></small><br /> <small class="footnote"><a target="_blank" href="#footnote-2"><sup>[2]</sup></a> <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/va-palo-alto-health-care-system-menlo-park-division-menlo-park?osq=va+palo+alto" target="_blank">https://www.yelp.com/biz/va-palo-alto-health-care-system-menlo-park-division-menlo-park?osq=va+palo+alto</a></small></p>
— Ellie Robins · 2018-12-27 08:55:14 PST
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