ABOUT ST. MARY’S HEALTH SYSTEM
The behavioral health department of St. Mary’s Health Systems in Lewiston, Maine, treats adults, adolescents, and children. Services include outpatient substance abuse treatment, inpatient detoxification, and treatment for co-occurring mental conditions.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
Inpatient detoxification lasts three to five days. Clients will participate in individual and group counseling that focus on healthy living and leisure, relapse prevention, illness education, and coping skills. Clients will leave with an aftercare treatment plan.
Outpatient options include a partial hospitalization program (PHP) and an adult intensive outpatient program (IOP), both of which meet four days a week. Clients will participate in group and recreational therapy and 12-Step programming. They will also receive medication management, psychiatric assessments, and aftercare planning.
An intensive outpatient program, as well as inpatient psychiatric treatment, is available for adolescents and kids aged five to 18, along with a program for grieving teens and children. St. Mary’s Renaissance School for kids kindergarten through 8th grade provides clinical, medical, and educational services. Individual treatment plans are used in conjunction with group and individual therapy.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
Staff includes board-certified psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, and registered nurses, along with licensed clinical social workers, professional counselors, certified recreation therapists, and behavioral technicians. St. Mary’s also employs a board-certified chaplain.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
Located on the campus of St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, St. Mary’s offers a hospital setting for treatment. Twelve reviewers to date rated the center’s accommodations and amenities an average 3.6 out of five stars, its meals and nutrition 3.9 stars, and its cleanliness 3.7 stars.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Overall reviews from alumni were mixed. Five alumni polled by Best-rehabs.com to date rated St. Mary’s an average 3.2 stars out of five for counseling options and staff experience. Common complaints from alumni included understaffing, outdated facilities, and a lack of physical or extracurricular activities. One anonymous alumni described the hospital as “kinda just a place to detox.”
Two alumni did leave praise for St. Mary’s. One anonymous reviewer told Best-rehabs.com: “I am still sober…it gave me a great head start.” Alum K.H. wrote: “St. Mary’s Rehab saved my life. I’m still sober thanks to them, AA & God.”
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
Reviews from loved ones show mostly positive ratings for St. Mary’s. Six loved ones to date rated the facility highest in staff’s level of experience and training at four out of five stars followed by affordability at 3.8 stars and family participation at 3.7 stars. They rated the facility lowest in holistic treatment offerings at 2.8 stars then connectivity and counseling options at 3.3 stars.
Strengths that loved ones cited include adequate treatment for adolescents and strong counselors, but a few loved ones pointed out weaknesses such as a poor client-staff ratio and a program skewed toward mental health treatment rather than issues of substance use. One anonymous grandparent wrote: “It was my granddaughter who was there as a young teen. She now says that it was a good experience and she’s glad she went. She learned a lot and was helped with her depression.”
WHAT STAFF SAY
The only staff member polled by Best-rehabs.com to date left no commentary, but rated St. Mary’s just one out of five stars in most metrics measured, including its holistic treatment offerings and its connectivity/visitor policy.
FINANCING
St. Mary’s estimates on its website that treatment for alcohol and drug abuse costs $7,888, while uninsured clients pay $2,997 Both HealthGrove and CiteHealth report that St. Mary’s accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance.