Located about 50 miles north of Boston in New Hampshire’s Downtown Manchester area, Farnum Center offers an array of drug and alcohol treatment services including outpatient, intensive outpatient, and medical detoxification (including Suboxone treatment). The facility’s goal is to give clients the tools they’ll need for a sustainable recovery through lectures, meetings, group discussions, uplifting seminars, and specialized presentations. Farnum Center also relies heavily on experiential therapies like exercise, music, and meditation.
ABOUT FARNUM CENTER
Located in Manchester, N.H., 50 miles north of Boston, Easter’s Seals’ Farnum Center provides gender-specific, residential treatment for adults struggling with chemical dependency and co-occurring disorders. Utilizing its signature Health Realization treatment model, the facility offers a range of recovery services, from inpatient care to transitional living. In addition, the Farnum Center operates the only stand-alone medical detoxification facility in the state.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
Upon admission, clients undergo an initial assessment to determine an appropriate level of care. Requiring a commitment of up to 30 days, the gender-specific residential program utilizes the facility’s Health Realization approach, which is designed to help clients discover personal strengths and coping skills to overcome personal challenges.
During residential treatment, clients adhere to a structured schedule of educational lectures, seminars, and presentations. Clients also participate in gender-specific group counseling sessions, which may address issues common among men and women struggling with chemical dependency. Clients also attend on-site 12-step meetings. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT), namely Suboxone, may be utilized to alleviate the discomfort of opioid withdrawal. According to a 2016 SAMHSA Survey, the facility was among 48 percent of the state’s facilities to utilize Suboxone.
In addition to core programming, Farnum Center incorporates a range of recreational and alternative therapies into programming. During residential treatment, clients can exercise and practice yoga, as well as participate in music therapy, acupuncture, and guided meditation. The center also regularly facilitates group outings, which may include trips to the museum, sports events, and recovery events.
Once a resident completes the residential program, clinicians may encourage clients to “step-down” to less intensive levels of care. Featuring similar programming as residential treatment, the PHP track runs five days a week for four hours each day and includes family education and counseling.
The center also offers two levels of outpatient treatment. Intensive outpatient program (IOP) last for one month and involves nine hours of weekly programming (three sessions). IOP primarily consists of individual counseling, case management, and group therapy sessions. Traditional outpatient programs focus on achieving specific goals, such as such as license restoration or court-ordered evaluations.
Each week, the center invites families to participate in educational programs to involve loved ones in the process of recovery. An aftercare program is also available to all program alumni. In addition, clients recovering from opioid dependency may be able to continue MAT through the facility’s Suboxone clinic.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
Led by a medical doctor with more than 30 years of medical experience, the staff consists of nurses and licensed alcohol and drug abuse counselors.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
Set on three acres, the Farnum Center is comprised of a 24-hour detoxification facility and an inpatient center. The center features an on-site swimming pool, a fitness room, basketball and volleyball courts.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Among the dozens of alumni polled by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing, a majority approved of the facility, and many credited the facility with saving their lives. A representative segment of eight to nine alumni offered more granular opinions of the facility, generally praising the facility’s cleanliness, the level of family participation, and the staff’s level of experience and training.
Family Participation: 4.6/5
Facility’s Cleanliness and Upkeep: 4.4/5
Staff’s Level of Experience and Training: 4/5
However, these alumni were less enthusiastic regarding the facility’s counseling options.
Counseling options: 2.9/5
Many alumni also cited the facility’s Health Realization approach as a major strength. “I have found great value in learning the three principles,” alum J.G. wrote. Despite mostly positive feedback, some alumni felt the price of the facility did not reflect the quality of treatment they received.
In addition, 38 reviewers on the facility’s Facebook page (which may be curated) rated the facility an average 4.8 out of five stars.[1] On Google, 56 reviewers rated it an average 3.5 out of five stars.[2] Feedback mostly echoed that of Best-rehabs.com reviewers.
However, on CiteHealth, 26 reviewers rated the facility only 2.4 out of five stars.[3] The facility received mixed feedback on he quality of care and accommodations. One anonymous alum wrote: “The staff is extremely rude and do nothing to help patients with recovery.”
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
The two loved ones polled by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing provided less enthusiastic opinions of the facility than alumni. Although loved one M.M. gave a five-star rating for the treatment staff’s level of experience and training, they gave one-star ratings for the facility’s ability to treat co-occurring mental health disorders, the level of family participation, and the facility’s affordability.
While parent G.S. felt the detoxification process was beneficial, the parent reported issues with administration and paperwork. “My son attended the detox program and did well,” G.S. wrote, but felt disappointed regarding the facility’s discharge planning.
WHAT STAFF SAY
The sole employee polled by Best-rehabs.com to date had mixed opinions concerning the facility. The employee gave a moderately critical rating of three stars for the facility’s quality of care. “I enjoyed working with the clients, some of my co-workers,” the employee wrote, but added: “The working environment was toxic without healthy leadership.”
On Indeed, three employees rated the facility one, four, and five stars.[4] One complained of poor treatment given by staff, but the other two praised its atmosphere.
FINANCING
Farnum Center accepts most private insurance plans. The facility’s website states: “The cost to you, if any, will not exceed $240 to $600 per day, depending upon your insurance and the program.” Limited scholarships are available. The individuals polled on the matter offered moderate opinions concerning the facility’s cost.
Inexperienced counselor cries COVET..gets son quarantined and treatment is Null VIOD....LEAVES INDIGENT. RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS ON TAXI RIDE BACK BECAUSE NO ONE WAS RESPONSIBLE....BUT TO NOT HANDLE THE COVET PROPERLY IS ANOTHER WHOLE DEAL....THE PEOPLE ELBOW TO ELBOW WITH HIM WERE NOT QUARANTINED AND ALLOW TO DO WHATEVER.....IM PISSED
The training for new nurses is sub-par, minimal education on the “philosophy” of the treatment, no computer training, no training manual to reference, no orientation checklist to follow making sure that all components of training are completed. I shadowed another RN who had her own full patient caseload to take care of. No time to sit down and review things. 1.5 weeks of training and then you are put on the schedule. That is unsafe practice. Nursing is not encouraged to personally interact with the patients -just do the task assigned quickly, don’t bother to actually “talk” with the client. I was told to tell the patients “talk to your counselor’ if they came to talk to me. Nurse management is horrible- she is new to the facility, was hired to facilitate change, but she criticizes and reprimands staff in front of others, talks in a rude and condescending manner and is a bully. Staff doesn’t stand up for themselves due to fear of losing their job or getting on her bad side. One nurse said that once she saw the new manager belittling and bullying others, she decided to just keep her mouth shut, as this would lessen the attention on her. Many of the nurses told me to do the same, just keep quiet and do your job. One evening the Manager was reprimanding an aide in the nurses office while we were giving report to the oncoming staff. The aide was so embarrassed, her face was red and she was on the verge of tears. All of us in the room, and there were 6-7 of us, just remained quiet. I was new, I didn’t know what to do, but after the incident I approached the girl and apologized to her for not opening my mouth. I felt horrible. As a nurse and a leader, I should have spoken up and told the Manager that type of behavior is not appropriate. I did report all of this to HR when I left, in hope of a change.
Nurses and aides don’t get to take a full lunch. They eat in the nurses office and if a patient requires something then they must stop their break and attend to the patient. The Manager is aware and encouraged me to do the same, stating if I was a true team player that I would do the same. There has been a lot of staff turnover at Farnum. They hire inexperienced, brand new nurses without any experience in mental health or SUD. What I found most alarming is the day nurses don’t seem to really care about the patients. They tend to under-medicate the clients, treating them as “drug seeking”. During my training, I was told by a day nurse to change my patient assessment so that it reflected a lowered score. As a result, the lower score would not allow the patient to receive withdrawal medication. She didn’t “feel” that the patient looked “sick enough”. As nurses, we don’t get to decide who deserves medication based on our feelings. That is unethical. I refused to change the score, I medicated that patient. The day nurse then reported me to Management as “not understanding the training and not doing the assessments correctly” All because I wouldn’t do what she wanted. The nurses complain and talk negatively about the patients to each other. They don’t understand or they don’t care that these people are sick and trying to get better. In my opinion, I wouldn’t send my loved one to Farnum and I would hire a new Manager- one that respects and encourages the staff, fosters positivity and increases staff morale.
The people hear are so amazing, the food (the chef will definitely fatten you up with the most delicious meals ever), the house (2 homes, Ray and Webster, I went to Ray, Webster holds 42 men while Ray has 12 men and 7 women) is so comfortable and inviting. I absolutely never wanted to leave! I loved the walks by the river, the talks with the staff and that the 1st thing they told me was that I was not broken. I had everything I needed to feel better already inside, they just showed me how to access it. I love you Ray House...
Farnum is a pathetic excuse for a treatment facility. The majority of the clinicians are simply individuals with a bachelors degree OR have been in recovery. What happened to receiving legitimate, evidenced-based practice by licensed providers? Not only is this ethically concerning, but unfair to the clients who believe that they are receiving the best treatment possible.
Staff is fueled off of nepotism and favoritism. If you say one thing wrong, then you’re immediately blacklisted and terminated.
Don’t let the big business aspect of this facility make you believe that it’s legitimate. Find a facility that understands how to treat dual diagnoses effectively and professionally.
I am a client receiving 16mgs Suboxone daily. I have taken this mg for a couple months now. I submit a U.A. weekly. I have never had a problem up until a few weeks ago. For some unknown reason my tests have came back with false positives. Once they were sent to the lab for testing it showed they were indeed false positive. The doctor suggests it is the medication I am prescribed via my PCP. The past few weeks the levels of my Suboxone in my urine has dropped to just about nothing. For some reason my levels are extremely low. I have not changed a thing. I have been taking my suboxone every single morning 16mgs a day. However Everytime I false positive showed up I always had to submit another U.A. within that hour. For my second u.a. that day] i was told to drink water. I would drink a ton of water then I would finally be able to submit I u.a. since having to submit a second u.a. my levels for that u.a. has dropped. I am assuming it is due to all the water I am drinking. I'm not a doctor but my assumption in the amount of water I I drank effected my u.a. levels. However this is not a valid reason. I have told the staff that I have done nothing wrong and that I have always taken my Suboxone as prescribed never missing a day. However I am being told it is impossible that I am taking my suboxone due to the graph shown on the paper. Every week I come in more and more nervous thinking I am going to be discharged when I have done nothing wrong. I can't convince anyone that I have been taking my suboxone on a regular basis. I am being treated as a liar abd I can't convince anyone any different. I understand the graph shows the levels are low but I do not understand why. Next week could be the week I am discharged. It is very discouraging because when I had lost all hope as a drug addict I had Farnum center as my last option and now I'm being looked at as if I am a liar, and may be in jeopardy of being discharged from the only place who gave me hope and helped me to continue a sober life. I completed an IOP, I quit smoking week like they asked, I quit Kratom like they asked, I have done everything by the book and have done everything the have asked. Yet I can't convince these guys that something is terribly wrong with these results. I have set an appointment with my PCP to have blood test done for hep c and to see if the levels of Suboxone are any different with a blood test. What really is discouraging is how I'm being treated like a liar. What was once a friendly staff now became a staff full of accusation. I don't know what else to do. I'm losing hope in the farnum center the place where I came for help and my last resort. Even if this gets resolved I will still have that fear that something may happen again. This really changed my thoughts on recovery centers. When a recovery center is your last option, what else is left when it fails you? I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else, because it is depressing to have to go through when your life is in the line being a drug addict.
