ABOUT THE MARGARET A. STUTZMAN ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTER
Operated by the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), the Margaret A. Stutzman Addiction Treatment Center (SATC) is a 33-bed, trauma-informed, inpatient rehab for adults seeking substance abuse recovery. Established nearly 50 years ago, the nonprofit also offers gender-specific treatment for women, as well as housing and day-care services for families and treatment for co-occurring disorders. Detox services are not available on-site.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
According to its mission statement, SATC “represents a first step to prepare patients for successful outpatient therapy and to begin to learn the skills needed to live without alcohol and other drugs.” Depending on an individual’s particular needs, which is determined by initial assessments and client progress, treatment may vary from two to six weeks.
Upon admission, clients participate in medical, psychosocial, and nutritional assessments and are assigned a primary counselor. The counselor helps clients to develop a personalized treatment plan and sets clinical goals. Comprehensive programming may feature individual and group therapy, educational groups, as well as recreational therapy and activities. Clients with trauma also partake in specialized groups that employ evidence-based treatments such as dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and eye movement and desensitization reprocessing (EDMR). Family involvement is encouraged and participation in on- and off-site AA and NA meetings is expected.
Women and pregnant women are assigned to female primary counselors and attend an all-women’s therapy group daily, as well as a women’s focus group four times per week. Pregnant women receive extra support through specialized medical treatment and prenatal care. When necessary, referrals and links to external care and placement services are provided.
SATC is also the designer of a unique program called PaTCH (Parents and Their Children) for parents who have custody over their children but are unable to find care for them while in treatment. Private bedrooms make it possible for a child to receive day-care at the facility, while the parent fully focuses on their recovery.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
The multidisciplinary staff includes physicians, nurses, psychiatrists, social workers, and licensed and certified mental health and addiction counselors.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
SATC is a 33-bed facility that houses men and women in separate wings to help protect privacy. The tobacco-free facility also provides clients with nicotine replacement therapy. Of the three individuals polled on accommodations & amenities by Best-rehabs.com to date, two individuals gave three out of five-star ratings for the quality of accommodations, while one survey respondent rated this aspect of treatment with two stars.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
The three former clients polled by Best-rehabs.com a the time of this writing had mixed opinions concerning the facility. One anonymous alum gave four-star ratings for the facility’s counseling options, its discharge planning, as well as its ability to treat co-occurring disorders. While offering a perfect five-star rating for the staff’s level of experience and training, the alum did feel that some staff members were uncaring. “If you want to be close to home and are looking for something that will help you TEMPORARILY, then this is the place,” the alum wrote.
Alum C.K. gave credit to the few counselors “that really knew what they were there for,” but mentioned a mismanaged mass drug test in which test results may have been confused. C.K. gave low one- or two-star ratings for the facility’s holistic offerings, its visitor policy, the amount of family participation, and its counseling options. However, C.K. did report sustained sobriety. “I have been sober ever since and now am a productive citizen with a career, family, and home,” they wrote.
Alum Lynn found the women’s group especially helpful and offered five stars for the amount of staff support, the counselors’ availability, and the staff’s level of experience and training. “It is a great program as far as groups and counseling needs,” Lynn wrote. However, she did feel that family visitation policies could improve.
On CiteHealth, nine individuals gave the facility a slightly above-average rating of 2.78 stars out of five, and personal experiences seemed to be polarizing.[1] One former client, who gave the facility five stars, credited the facility with saving their life, referred to the staff as excellent, and wrote that the program was very strict and organized. Another alum, who gave only one star, warned others to stay away and felt that the counselors couldn’t be more unqualified.
Contrastingly, reviews on the facility’s unofficial Facebook page were quite positive at the time of this writing, where five individuals generated an average 4.8 out of five-star rating.[2] All but one of these reviewers gave five out of five stars, crediting the facility with being life-saving. “This place saved me & changed my life,” Melissa, a representative reviewer, wrote.
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
The sole loved one polled by Best-rehabs.com to date gave the facility three out of five stars for treatment effectiveness, five stars for accommodations & amenities, and five stars for meals & nutrition. She felt that the facility staff’s were experienced and well-trained (five stars); the facility offered excellent family involvement (five stars); and that the facility was adequately equipped and staffed to treat co-occurring mental health problems (four stars). When surveyed about weaknesses of the program, she noted that Stutzman needs to be more proactive about following up with patients after they leave. However, she still gave a four-star rating for the facility’s discharge procedures.
FINANCING
SATC does not deny individuals access to treatment based on an inability to pay and accepts Medicaid.
[1] [http://citehealth.com/rehab-centers/new-york/cities/buffalo/stutzman-addiction-treatment-center]
[2] [https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stutzman-Addiction-Treatment-Center/125401844181682]