ABOUT BENEFIS HEALTH SYSTEM – MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION TREATMENT SERVICES
Located in Great Falls, Benefis Health System is a faith-based, non-profit community hospital serving central Montana. Through its 20-bed, short-term inpatient unit, partial hospitalization program (PHP), and outpatient services, the hospital provides a full continuum of services for adults struggling with substance use and co-occurring disorders. It is one of only 10 facilities in Montana that offers a short-term residential program.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
Patients admitted into the hospital’s behavioral health unit are typically admitted through the hospital’s emergency room, where they are evaluated for medical and physical stabilization. Once the patient is transferred to the behavioral health unit, clinicians perform a psychiatric and/or substance use assessment to identify patient needs and develop an individualized treatment plan.
Patients requiring stabilization may be admitted into the hospital’s short-term inpatient program, which typically lasts between three and six days. Designed to stabilize the patient before referring them to a less-restrictive level of care, Benefis’ inpatient program combines pharmacological intervention with individual and group counseling sessions. Those struggling with chemical dependency may receive medication-assisted treatment (MAT), such as Suboxone or Vivitrol, as well as counseling and educational sessions.
Held daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the hospital’s PHP track entails five hours of group counseling sessions per day. PHP typically lasts between five and 10 days. Benefis also offers specialized outpatient counseling sessions. These include private therapy and group sessions, helping patients dig deeper into the source of their addiction and/or mental health disorder.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
Benefis Health System’s behavioral health unit is run by a team of physicians, psychiatric nurses, substance abuse and mental health counselors, and behavioral health technicians. A psychiatrist also consults with patients each morning during inpatient care.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
The behavioral health unit is comprised of a six-bed acute care unit and a 14-bed intermediate care unit. Patients have private rooms during acute care and private or semi-private rooms during intermediate care. Most rooms are equipped with standard or low-rise hospital beds, and patients have access to television and phones in the intermediate care unit’s patient lounges. Patients are also encouraged to eat in the unit’s dining hall and wear their own clothing while in intermediate care.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
To date, Best-rehabs.com has yet to receive alumni feedback. However, reviews on secondary sites were largely positive. On Google reviews, 16 individuals gave the facility an average rating of 4.4 out of five stars.[1] “The Staff and team members work diligently for the comfort and care of their patient’s needs,” Sherry wrote in a representative review. “I was extremely grateful for the service we got in our time of need.”
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
While they felt that the facility offered limited counseling options, the single loved one surveyed by Best-rehabs.com to date approved of most aspects of the facility. They gave four out of five stars for the level of family participation, as well as five-star ratings for the staff’s level of training and experience, the facility’s discharge planning, and its treatment for co-occurring disorders. “Taught you to take responsibility for your actions,” they commented. “It was a solid program and helped that person.”
WHAT STAFF SAY
To date, Best-rehabs.com also received a slightly more mixed report from one anonymous employee. While they considered the treatment staff “kind and courteous,” this employee nevertheless gave only two stars for the staff’s level of training and experience. Like the other survey respondent, this reviewer gave four out of five stars for the level of family participation, but only two stars for counseling options.
FINANCING
Benefis Health System accepts private insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare. Per the facility’s webpage, financial assistance is available to underinsured or uninsured patients. For example, uninsured patients may receive a 40 percent discount on cost, and patients who qualify may receive treatment free-of-charge.
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