ABOUT MESILLA VALLEY HOSPITAL
In Las Cruces, N.M., Mesilla Valley Hospital (MVH) provides short- and long-term residential treatment to adolescents and adults struggling with substance use and psychiatric disorders, including co-occurring mental health concerns. Partial hospitalization and outpatient treatment are also available. Medical detox is provided on-site, treatment is 12-step-based and culturally-responsive, and specialized care for veterans is offered. MVH was founded in 1987 and typically serves residents of West Texas and Arizona.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
In general, Mesilla Valley Hospital’s inpatient psychiatric programs are designed to stabilize patients and provide them with the tools to successfully seek ongoing recovery support. Treatment plans prioritize preparing for aftercare plans. Patients in the Adult Addiction Recovery Center may begin with medically-managed detox, followed by either continued inpatient care or referrals to outpatient treatment.
According to the facility’s website, residential and outpatient treatment for addiction at MVP combines several therapeutic modalities via the Matrix Model. Most treatment plans include some combination of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT); trauma-informed eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), motivational interviewing; interactive journaling; and 12-step Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous meetings. Art therapy and recreational therapy – which includes a ropes course – are also available on-site. During the partial hospitalization program (five days a week) or the intensive outpatient program (three days a week), some treatment plans incorporate medication-assisted therapy through the use of Suboxone
MVH takes pride in offering an array of age-, circumstance-, and topic-specific therapeutic groups. Among these are groups addressing military life, trauma, relationships, life skills, gender-specific concerns, and mental health conditions.
Military treatment services are available to active duty personnel, veterans, and dependents.The facility’s website highlights this program, during which clients are encouraged to involve a friend in their treatment process if family members are not available or willing.
The hospital’s chemical dependency and psychiatric adolescent programs in particular use a trauma-informed treatment model and local teachers participate in school-age residents’ treatment. MVH also offers a program for senior adults.
Residents receive individual counseling once a week and phone-based family counseling can be arranged for those with distant loved ones.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
In addition to licensed social workers, board certified psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, and licensed alcohol and drug addiction counselors, MVH employs a military liaison, education specialists, and a dietitian.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
Set in the Organ Mountains, the 117-bed hospital offers dorm-style accommodations with shared rooms, a cafeteria, and art room. Residents have access to a swimming pool during the summer and on-site physical fitness sessions are generally required. According to the facility’s website, individuals with special dietary needs for medical, religious, or cultural reasons can be accommodated. Smoking is allowed within designated parameters.
A list of expectations and restrictions is posted on the MVH website and includes regular room checks and a one-week blackout period prior to monitored phone calls and visitation.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Data collected by Best-rehabs.com revealed that four out of five former clients polled were strongly satisfied with that experience at Mesilla Valley Hospital. Aside from one highly critical alum of the adolescent treatment program, all would recommend MVH to others and rated the effectiveness of treatment highly. The two individuals polled on the facility’s capacity to provide dual diagnosis treatment awarded four and five stars, respectively.
Staff received mixed, though largely favorable, reviews. Employees were described as friendly and professional, although one alum reported under-staffing and another found peer interaction more helpful than the staff’s treatment. A metric measuring the staff’s level of training and experience received one rating of three out of five stars and two ratings of four stars.
Accommodations received consistently positive ratings; metrics measuring meals, nutrition, exercise and leisure activity, and the facility’s cleanliness and upkeep garnered mostly four stars. One otherwise positive alum characterized food as poor and the rules as overly restrictive. A few other metrics also received lower ratings amidst favorable reviews, including two stars for holistic offerings and three for counseling options.
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
Reviews submitted to Best-rehabs.com from five loved ones were split evenly between two favorable, two critical, and one mixed. Reflecting this split, different reviewers characterized the staff as “competent” and “incompetent,” the facility as “not clean” and as deserving a five-star rating for cleanliness and upkeep, and the effectiveness of treatment as five-star, three-star, and not at all. One anonymous loved one noted the need for more staff training, while also highlighting the credentials of the hospital’s psychiatrists.
Three reviewers were polled more extensively, agreeing with each other on four- and five-star ratings for dual diagnosis treatment and on three-star ratings for family participation and outside connectivity policies. The more moderate reviewer described MVH as “too institutional” and cited “no family contact” as a weakness.
FINANCING
There is currently no information available regarding specific treatment pricing on the facility’s website. However, a link is provider for financing through the hospital’s partner, Prosper HealthCare Lending, and MVH accepts TRICARE, Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance plans.