Recovery Brands, LLC
📍 109 Bee Street, Charleston, SC 29401
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<p><strong>ABOUT RALPH H. JOHNSON VA MEDICAL CENTER</strong></p> <p>The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center is located on the campus of Roper Hospital and the Medical University of South Carolina, on the west side of Charleston. The Ralph H. Johnson facility is a <strong>152-bed primary, secondary, and tertiary care medical center</strong>; for the treatment of mental health disorders, the center offers a psychiatric inpatient center and <strong>inpatient and outpatient programs for substance use disorder,</strong> alongside a range of other mental and behavioral health disorders.</p> <p>Services are available to veterans and their families. The center is among the <a href="https://wwwdasis.samhsa.gov/webt/state_data/SC17.pdf" target="_blank">9.3 percent</a> of facilities in South Caroline that offer dedicated treatment for veterans.</p> <p><strong>TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT</strong></p> <p>Inpatient care for mental and behavioral health disorders is short-term only, typically lasting <strong>nine to 12 days.</strong> According to <a href="https://www.charleston.va.gov/Documents/MH_Services_Guide_022016.pdf" target="_blank">a guide</a> published on the Ralph H. Johnson VAMC's website, inpatient care is only offered to those who pose an imminent danger to themselves or others. Patients might be struggling with substance use disorder, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and/or other disorders. Inpatients receive <strong>medical monitoring and daily group programming,</strong> and staff follow up with them one week after discharge.</p> <p>The substance abuse treatment center (SATC) offers multidisciplinary outpatient programs, including <strong>outpatient detox</strong> (one of just <a href="https://wwwdasis.samhsa.gov/webt/state_data/SC17.pdf" target="_blank">11 outpatient detox programs</a> in the state of South Carolina). The center also provides <strong>individual and group psychotherapy</strong> and <a href="http://www.recovery.org/topics/extended-recovery-programs/" target="_blank">aftercare</a>. Those clients who require more structured care can enroll for an <strong>intensive outpatient program (IOP),</strong> which runs five days a week. According to <a href="https://www.charleston.va.gov/careers/trainees/PsychologyFellowship1819.pdf" target="_blank">papers</a> published on its site, the center is also among the <a href="https://wwwdasis.samhsa.gov/webt/state_data/SC17.pdf" target="_blank">26.9 percent</a> of rehabs in South Carolina that provide <strong>opioid treatment using Suboxone.</strong></p> <p>This VAMC's website notes that the center offers <strong>dedicated programming for minority veterans</strong> who are struggling with a range of difficulties, including homelessness and substance use disorder.</p> <p>The center doesn't currently publish its preferred treatment modalities, but <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=oTBDcHlfnwUC&pg=PT331&lpg=PT331&dq=what+addiction+treatment+modality+does+the+VA+use&source=bl&ots=FQweBA3YjM&sig=BHFKz2iupqNX1kvEGffVPYXjeaA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjXh5PT-uvWAhUirVQKHWYcDhsQ6AEIWDAJ#v=onepage&q=what%20addiction%20treatment%20modality%20does%20the%20VA%20use&f=false" target="_blank">the Handbook of Military Social Work</a>, notes that across the VA, the most common method of treating addiction is <strong>cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT),</strong> along with education and support. The handbook also notes that VA facilities aim to <strong>assess veterans seeking addiction treatment for any <a href="http://www.recovery.org/topics/dual-diagnosis-recovery/" target="_blank">co-occurring disorders</a>,</strong> such as PTSD or depression, and to provide treatment for those disorders along with support in the areas of spirituality, sexual dysfunction, employment, and education. This holistic treatment is designed to remove likely causes of relapse. </p> <p><strong>STAFF CREDENTIALS</strong></p> <p>The Ralph H. Johnson VAMC is a research institute as well as a treatment center, and some staff members are currently conducting research on alcohol-related disorders, PTSD, and other areas of mental and behavioral health. The SATC is staffed by <strong>psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, and a peer support specialist.</strong> The single alum polled by Rehabs.com to date gave the facility four out of five stars for its staff's level of training and experience.</p> <p><strong>ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES</strong></p> <p>There is currently no information provided by the Ralph H. Johnson VAMC regarding its living arrangements and related offerings, however, the single alum polled by Rehabs.com to date gave the facility five stars for its accommodations and meals, and four stars for its cleanliness and exercise/leisure offerings. </p> <p><strong>WHAT ALUMNI SAY</strong></p> <p>The single alum polled by Rehabs.com to date gave mostly positive feedback. They noted that strengths of the Ralph H. Johnson VAMC included "the experience of the staff the treatment process and the attitude of the staff," and gave the facility four stars for its treatment effectiveness and its ability to treat co-occurring disorders. However, they also indicated that the program might be somewhat bare-bones, awarding just two stars for the center's holistic offerings, family participation, and counseling options.</p> <p>At the time of this writing, secondary sites yielded no reviews of the center's substance abuse programs in particular, and <strong>mixed feedback about the Ralph H. Johnson VAMC as a whole,</strong> with average ratings of 3.8 out of five stars based on 731 opinions on Facebook (where the facility can manage its own page), 3.6 stars based on 139 reviews on Google, and four stars based on 13 reviews on Yelp, plus three "not recommended" Yelp reviews, all for one or 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> <small class="footnote"><a target="_blank" href="#footnote-3"><sup>[3]</sup></a></small> </p> <p>The reviews contain recurring complaints about administrative problems such as <strong>long wait times and difficulty getting an appointments</strong>; more than one reviewer also felt that the staff, including medical staff, were less than caring: "The staff there are horrible and are Doctor was not the best either. The people that work here have no since of urgency. I feel like we are getting the run around," M.O. wrote in a representative review on Google.</p> <p>However, a handful of reviewers described differing experiences, most often by <strong>focusing on the staff's dedication:</strong> "This should be a much higher rating, because my husband and I have come several times over the past few years... EVERYONE we encountered was amazing... from cleaning services, nurses, front desk, everyone." Tristan wrote in a representative review on Facebook.</p> <p><strong>FINANCING</strong></p> <p>The center is among the <a href="https://wwwdasis.samhsa.gov/webt/state_data/SC17.pdf" target="_blank">34.3 percent</a> of South Carolina rehabs that accept federal military insurance. Depending on the services rendered and other factors, treatment at VAMCs is sometimes offered free of charge to veterans and their families, though clients are sometimes required to pay a co-pay. The single alum of the Ralph H. Johnson VAMC polled by Rehabs.com to date gave the facility three out of five stars for its affordability.</p> <p><small class="footnote"><a target="_blank" href="#footnote-1"><sup>[1]</sup></a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/VAMCCharleston/reviews/?ref=page_internal" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/pg/VAMCCharleston/reviews/?ref=page_internal</a></small><br /> <small class="footnote"><a target="_blank" href="#footnote-2"><sup>[2]</sup></a> <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=ralph+h.+johnson+va+medical+center+charleston+sc&oq=Ralph+H.+Johnson+VA+Medical+Center+charleston+sc&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i60j0l3.1927j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#lrd=0x88fe7a37745c7695:0x98eb93f0a7a8a885,1,,," target="_blank">GoogleReviews</a></small><br /> <small class="footnote"><a target="_blank" href="#footnote-3"><sup>[3]</sup></a> <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/ralph-h-johnson-veterans-hospital-charleston?osq=Ralph+H.+Johnson+VA+Medical+Center" target="_blank">https://www.yelp.com/biz/ralph-h-johnson-veterans-hospital-charleston?osq=Ralph+H.+Johnson+VA+Medical+Center</a></small></p>
— Ellie Robins · 2019-02-18 12:30:19 PST
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