ABOUT RECOVERY CENTERS OF ARKANSAS — RIVERBEND
Recovery Centers of Arkansas, the state’s largest treatment provider, began as separate organizations — Addiction Treatment Centers, which was founded in Little Rock in the 1950s, and Riverbend Recovery Centers, established in North Little Rock shortly afterwards. The two nonprofits merged in 1999 and since have expanded to offer residential treatment, outpatient care, and sober living from four separate locations. The Riverbend facility, situated on the banks of the Arkansas River, focuses on providing residential treatment for adults struggling with substance abuse.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
In order to be admitted for treatment at Riverbend, clients must be at least 18 years old and currently drug and alcohol-free as well as medically stable. Residents typically remain on-site for 30 to 45 days. During this time, they participate in a program that includes 12-step principles and uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and family systems theory.
Group therapy is the primary treatment modality. Residents receive structured, intensive treatment services seven days a week. Clients spend a minimum of 33 hours a week in a therapeutic group environment. This care is supplemented by one hour of individual therapy and support from local recovery groups.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
According to the facility’s website, key staff members include licensed therapists and master’s level administrators. It also notes Recovery Centers of Arkansas was the first free-standing substance abuse treatment facility in the state to receive national accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). The organization is licensed by the Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
The facility’s website describes its Riverbend location on the North Little Rock River Trail as a serene spot that’s ideal for reflection and recovery. Few details on the living quarters are available, but alumni and loved ones of former clients polled by Best-rehabs.com gave mid-to-high ratings for the rehabilitation center’s accommodations, meals, and cleanliness.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
To date, Best-rehabs.com has polled one alumnus of the Riverbend facility, who offered positive feedback. Dawn, a former client who reported more than 17 months of sobriety, awarded the facility the highest five-star ratings for the major categories of the Best-rehabs.com survey: overall effectiveness, accommodations and amenities, and meals and nutrition.
She commended the program for its structure, opportunities to go to outside meetings, and her newfound ability to recognize and deal with triggers. During residential treatment, she encountered sometimes drama but that’s hard to avoid. However, she expressed appreciation for her experience at the facility: “I am the mother that I have always wanted to be. I know that there assistance was a huge advantage for me and my sobriety.”
On Facebook, Recovery Centers of Arkansas as a whole received 14 reviews from a mix of alumni and others, which averaged 4.1 out of five stars. Those who posted reviews did not specify to which facility their ratings and comments pertained. Leo, a five-star reviewer, described the center as: “The best in Arkansas,” but cautioned potential clients: “you still have to be commited to make it work.”
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
A review submitted to Best-rehabs.com by a loved one was generally positive. The anonymous survey respondent awarded four out of five stars to overall effectiveness, four stars to accommodations and amenities, and three stars to meals and nutrition. This reviewer described treatment as “your average 12-step recovery program,” and noted that the Riverbend facility was crowded and not very big.
FINANCING
The Recovery Centers of Arkansas website states that an episode of residential care typically costs $5,670. This is based on a one-time assessment fee of $420 and a daily rate of $175. The facility does not appear to accept insurance, but notes that donations and subsidies may be available to help offset the cost of treatment. It also indicates that major credit cards are accepted and payment plans are available upon request.
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