ABOUT BEACON CENTER- AMHERST, NY
Beacon Center, located in Amherst, N.Y., offers outpatient treatment and sober living homes to adolescents and adult men and women struggling with alcohol and substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders.
The facility has been in existence since 1990, currently has a total of eight locations, and is one of New York’s largest woman-owned businesses. The mission of the facility is to recognize that recovery is possible for everyone struggling with abuse and to provide the necessary services for those interested in achieving sobriety.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
The facility offers a variety of treatment options including an opiate addiction program, the Compass Program (for those with co-occurring mental illness), general outpatient counseling, and gender-specific outpatient programming. The facility also has a specialized treatment program for adolescents and young adults.
The opiate addiction treatment program is based around evidence-backed counseling and medication-assisted therapy using buprenorphine (Suboxone). The medication used in the program helps ease clients’ withdrawal symptoms and is closely monitored by a physician-led medical team. Throughout treatment, clients focus on long-term behavioral change.
The Compass Program is focused on adults struggling with addiction as well as mental illness. The program works with clients to address obstacles that may be encountered while recovering from addiction while learning how their mental health and substance abuse both interact. The program uses evidence-based treatment methods.
Clients participating in outpatient counseling receive a complete evaluation to determine their individual needs prior to the start of counseling. Clients must participate in random urine drug tests and provide the results of a recent physical exam or agree to receive a complete physical assessment conducted by a registered nurse.
The adolescent program offers assistance to teenagers with an alcohol or drug problem. Throughout the program, the teens receive alcohol or other drug use education, learn how to live a life free of substances, deal with peer pressure and improve their self-esteem, and learn how to have fun and enjoy life without drugs.
The gender-specific programs are designed to cater to the unique needs of men and women and explore the ways that society may influence each gender’s path to recovery. For example, the women’s program explores issues of sexuality such as rape, childhood sexual abuse, prostitution, and abortion while the men’s program works through issues including relationships, domestic violence, and expressing one’s emotions.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
The treatment team includes physicians, mental health counselors, chemical dependency counselors, and social workers.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
At the time of this writing there has been one alum polled by Best-rehabs.com. The former client, G.P., gave the facility a negative review including one out of five stars for treatment effectiveness, accommodations & amenities, and meals & nutrition. She strongly disagreed when asked to rate various metrics of the facility including when asked if the facility was clean and well maintained; if there were many counseling options to choose from depending on the client’s preference; and if the facility was adequately equipped and staffed to treat co-occurring mental health problems in addition to substance use disorders.
She felt that there were no strengths of the facility and wrote that the facility could improve upon the length of time they require clients to remain in treatment. G.P. added additional commentary writing, “I would strongly advise not going here. The faculty treats you as if you are not as good as them. All they want is to continue collecting your insurance money and will keep you there as long as possible. The staff comes and goes more frequently than the patients. Only the women have to get drug tested daily.”
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
At the time of this writing there has been one friend or family member polled by Best-rehabs.com. The anonymous loved one gave the facility a mixed review including four out of five stars for treatment effectiveness, and three stars for accommodations & amenities.
He disagreed when asked if family and loved ones were able to participate in treatment through facility programming and if the facility staff were experienced and well-trained. The loved one also indicated that the treatment plan was not affordable nor were payment plans, scholarships, or financial assistance made available and that the treatment and services offered at the facility were not worth the cost.
He felt that there were no strengths of the facility and that there were too many weaknesses to list. The loved one added additional commentary writing, “My loved one came out worse than went in” and indicated that he would not recommend this facility to another friend or loved one who was considering rehab.
FINANCING
The cost of treatment at the facility is not published. According to HealthGrove, the facility accepts insurance including Medicaid, State Insurance (Other than Medicaid), and Private Health Insurance as well as payment assistance in the form of sliding scale fees[1].