ABOUT JOHN BROOKS RECOVERY CENTER
The overall mission of the non-profit John Brooks Recovery Center (JBRC) is to provide substance abuse treatment services to New Jersey residents. Its secondary focus is to provide resources and preventive education to lower heroin overdoses throughout the local homeless community. Each of its four locations is within walking distance of the Atlantic City Boardwalk and oceanfront. This review focuses on its 90-bed long-term residential men’s facility located on Pacific Avenue.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
For those who qualify for services, JBRC offers long-term recovery support. According to the center’s website, the typical length of residential treatment is between three and six months.
JBRC adopts the disease model of addiction and utilizes a biopsychosocial approach when assessing a client.
Treatment involves a combination of individual therapy, group counseling, primary healthcare, and educational sessions, which cover topics such as relapse prevention, life skills, parenting skills, Narcotic Anonymous (NA) and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) concepts, and healthy recreation. Psychiatric services and medical services are available for clients with co-occurring mental health disorders.
In collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services, JBRC offers free community education on overdose response training. JBRC also recognizes the value of medication-assisted therapy, offering long-term Methadone and Suboxone outpatient programs at the facility on Pacific Avenue. This program serves more than 500 adults dealing with opiate addiction.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
Staff include master’s-level social workers, drug and alcohol counselors, a registered nurse, and a physician.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
Few details regarding the residences are available. One loved one commented that JBRC was in a great location because it was close to several hospitals or medical facilities. Yet, the same reviewer mentioned the facility was close to liquor stores and drug dealers.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Alumni reviews of this facility are somewhat mixed. All alumni polled by Best-rehabs.com gave the facility three out of five stars or higher for its treatment effectiveness to date.
On the positive side, former resident M.J. praised the educational components of the program and wrote: “I was able to learn about the disease of addiction. Don’t plan on using again.” An anonymous Best-rehabs.com survey respondent disliked the no smoking policy, but wrote: “They do ork with u well.”
On Google, the facility earned 2.9 out of five stars from 15 reviews at the time of this writing.[1] Reviewers couldn’t agree about the staff or the facility itself. On the positive side, one reviewer wrote: “They try thier best. If you get the right councelor, your OK…I have a great ,true blue one!!!” However, in a representative review of the negative side, alum Joseph warned: “it was pure hell the food is horrifying the place has no air conditioning its just a mess and not to mention the staff whoa but it ain’t about none of that it does help you if you want to be helped it not supposed to be comforting.”
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
The three loved ones surveyed to date provided mostly positive reviews with only a few exceptions. The two loved ones polled on a variety of metrics gave the facility four and five out of five stars for its treatment effectiveness, accommodations and amenities, holistic treatment offerings, cleanliness, counseling options, and the staff’s level of training and experience. When asked, on a scale from one to five, whether they would recommend treatment at John Brooks Recovery Center, the loved ones gave a four- and a five-star rating.
The lack of aftercare was a noted problem. One loved one gave the facility one out of five stars for its aftercare offerings; however, S.D., the mother of a former resident, noted an absence of aftercare. She wrote: “It is an excellent start but it must be followed up with something else…Did not think it a safe area and very close to the casinos.”
An anonymous loved one also expressed to Best-rehabs.com that, despite positive outcomes, there was room for improvement. “I think too many clients are under treatment and getting opiods at physican’s offices and more monitoring is needed,” the individual wrote.
Yet another loved one remarked that the employees were compassionate, the place was clean, and the facility had fair rules.
FINANCING
Residential services are free to low income New Jersey residents. The cost of methadone maintenance treatment is a sliding scale co-pay and some financial support for this service is available.
[1] https://goo.gl/xJRb4e