ABOUT HAZELDEN BETTY FORD FOUNDATION — ST. PAUL
Operating under one of the most respected brand names in the recovery industry, the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation in St. Paul, Minn. is one of 221 (71.8%) substance abuse treatment facilities in the state. It provides a variety of services for both teens and adults facing issues related to substance abuse and addiction. While all services are offered on an outpatient basis, the foundation runs a sober living facility for adults looking for structure and support during the early stages of sobriety. Additionally, this is one of only 15 (1.3%) facilities in the state to to operate an opioid treatment program.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
According to the facility’s website, the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation offers both in-person and phone assessments, the latter of which are available 24/7 and provided at no cost. Depending on the level of care required, clients may opt for intensive outpatient care or day treatment.
Day treatment –– the more intensive option –– employs day-long programming comprised of individual therapy, group counseling, educational lectures, and groups that address special topics. These topics include gender issues, trauma, teen issues, LGBTQ-integrative care, and opioid addiction. The center’s website indicates day treatment is great options for people who have experienced a recent relapse, just gotten out of inpatient treatment, or struggle with co-occurring disorders.
Intensive outpatient treatment is similar in design, but participants meet up to four times a week for three-hour sessions.
Additional offerings include Teen Intervene. In 2010, 5% of Minnesota teens ages 12 to 17 demonstrated a general substance use disorder, and 3% of teens needed but did not receive treatment at a special facility for illicut drug use. This program offered by Hazelden is an early intervention program for adolescents in which sober living is supervised and includes recovery coaching, 12-step meetings, and options for continuing care.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
The Hazelden staff includes physicians, psychiatrists, and certified counselors, according to the center’s website. Ratings from 16 former clients and their loved ones reveal satisfaction with the Hazelden employees.
Staff’s level of treatment and experience: 4.4/5 stars
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
The center’s website describes its supervised recovery housing as “home-like.” Residents have river views and sleep in gender-specific rooms. Clients have on-site access to coaching, vocational skill-building, and 12-step meetings. The facility’s website indicates there is also a small exercise facility. Public transportation is accessible, and clients may keep a vehicle or bicycle on-site. Cell phones and laptops are also permitted. 14 survey respondents shared positive sentiments about the accommodations and related offerings.
This facility offers excellent leisure, exercise, and extracurricular options: 4/5
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Feedback from alumni was mostly positive. Of the nine alumni polled by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing, seven former clients provided positive opinions of the center, one left a neutral review, and one alum had a negative experience at the facility. Multiple alumni shared praise for the staff. “They have good workers that go out of there way to help you with your problems and needs,” an alum wrote in a representative review.
I would recommend this facility to a friend or family member who was considering treatment: 3.8/4
The highest ratings went to the facility’s cleanliness from 6 alumni reviewers and holistic offerings from 5 polled former clients.
The facility is clean and well-maintained: 4.3/5
The facility has high quality holistic offerings: 4/5
Other alumni praised the center’s program and the detox process. “It’s much more comfortable place than a hospital rehab…more one on one…not totally 12 steps that doesn’t really apply totally to an addict,” an alum wrote. However, not all alumni agreed. “If you need a rigid 12 step program then this place is for you,” one alum wrote. But, the alum noted if “you have the ability to creatively think… then look elsewhere.”
Reviews about the facility’s ability to treat co-occurring disorders were also mixed, with two alumni giving this three out of five stars, two giving this four out of five stars, and one giving this five out of five stars.
On Google, the facility earned an above-average rating of 3.8 stars from 12 users to date, but received much written criticism.[1] Reviewer L.W. remarked that her experience at a different Hazelden location was better than her experience at St. Paul. A few other reviewers noted a lack of staff support. Eight users gave the facility five out of five stars, but did not leave any reasons for these ratings.
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
Loved ones generally provided positive feedback. Of the 15 loved ones questioned by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing, 14 had positive opinions of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, and only one loved one left a negative review.
When asked, on a scale from one to five, how likely they were to recommend the facility to others, 10 survey respondents provided a high average rating.
I would recommend this facility to a friend or family member who was considering treatment: 4.8/4
The highest-rated categories that respondents were polled on were the staff’s level of experience and training, the facility’s cleanliness, and family participation. “It worked very well for my brother…They incorporated family, which was very beneficial,” one anonymous loved one wrote.
Staff’s level of experience and training: 4.8/5 stars
The facility is clean and well-maintained: 4.8/5 stars
Family/loved ones are able to participate in treatment through facility programming: 4.7/5 stars
Loved ones left very few concerns. One parent, R.H.T., felt that the facility lacked adequate care for women and individuals with co-occurring disorders. “The worst is that this place is labeled dual diagnosis, yet it was virtually impossible to get a psychiatry appt.,” they wrote. Still, the center’s affordability was the only category to dip below four stars.
Treatment is affordable and/or payment plans, scholarships, or financial assistance are available: 3.6/5
FINANCING
Pricing varies according to each client’s individual treatment plan, the center’s website notes. The Teen Intervene program, however, has a standardized price of $318 per session. Hazelden accepts most insurance plans. Payment plans and some financial aid are available to individuals who qualify. Additionally, the facility’s HealthGrove page indicates state insurance (other than Medicaid) and Access to Recovery (ATR) Vouchers are also accepted.
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