ABOUT QUEENS VILLAGE COMMITTEE FOR MENTAL HEALTH FOR J-CAP, INC.
Located in South Jamaica, Queens, a few miles from John F. Kennedy International Airport, Queens Village Committee for Mental Health for J-CAP, Inc. (J-CAP — short for “just caring about people”) offers long-term residential treatment for adults aged 17 or older. Clients must be referred to treatment by another treatment center, insurance provider, social services, or the New York State Division of Parole.
The center offers a buprenorphine program for opioid withdrawal.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
According to the center’s website, treatment is based on the therapeutic community (TC) model, which is a group based approach to addiction. Clients participate in their own as well as their peers’ treatment. Treatment generally lasts around a year.
Treatment is divided into three phases: orientation, main treatment, and re-entry. Residents progress through the program, earn statues and privileges as their recovery advances.
Orientation lasts between 30 to 45 days. During this phase, residents familiarize themselves with J-CAP’s rules and regulations.
The next phase, main treatment, typically lasts six to eight months. Programming in this phase includes, individual counseling and group therapy sessions on topics such as anger management and women’s issues. Residents set short- and long-term goals during this phase, and participate in social and cultural activities, such as volunteering and singing in a choir.
In the re-entry phase of treatment, which lasts three to four months, clients pursue work, study, or vocational training opportunities. Clients also build and consolidate their sober social networks, and actively work toward reaching long-term goals.
There are dedicated services for veterans, which include a heavy emphasis on trauma treatment. The center also offers an outpatient support program for teen mothers, and HIV/AIDS testing and case management for facility residents as well as residents of the local community.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
According to the facility’s website, staff have credentials in psychology, social work, addiction counseling, nursing, medicine, vocational rehabilitation, and mental health. The two alumni surveyed by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing gave four out of five stars for the staff’s level of training and experience.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
The center’s website indicates the facility can accommodate more than 400 clients in two buildings. Residents share responsibility for the daily upkeep of the facility, such as housekeeping tasks and meal preparation.
The two people polled by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing gave three- and four- out of five stars for accommodations and amenities.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Both alumni questioned by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing provided positive feedback, and gave four out of five stars when asked if they would recommend the treatment center.
They each gave the center four or five stars for its overall effectiveness, counseling options, and discharge policies.
Some categories fared more poorly: for example, the center’s family program received just a one-star and a two-star rating. Yet, both alumni reported that their needs were met at the facility.
“Worked my own program catered to my needs,” an alum wrote.
“It needs more grants to pay for house keeping needs,” the other alum noted.
WHAT STAFF SAY
Best-rehabs.com has yet to receive any reviews from this facility’s staff members. However, the three individuals who left reviews on secondary sites provided neutral feedback.
On Glassdoor, a former counselor gave a three out of five star review. They indicated the pro of the center was “helping people with drug problems,” and “long term treatment where most clients cannot commit” was the con of treatment.[1]
The two people who left reviews on Indeed at the time of this writing gave four- and three- out of five stars. “Too many managers and supervisors did not follow up with workers productivity, therefore when it came time for annual audits, people were running around crazy trying to get charts up to code,” a former employee wrote on Indeed.[2]
CONCLUSION
J-CAP receives state funding, but it’s unclear whether this covers the entire cost of treatment. There is currently no further information provided on the facility’s website regarding its costs, but the two individuals polled by Best-rehabs.com to date gave the center a three- and four- out of five stars for its affordability.
In a 2014 article entitled “Rehab boss used patients for ‘slave labor’”, the New York Post reported: “Residents of the taxpayer-funded J-CAP program in Queens were dispatched to the Upper East Side home of program manager [name redacted] to do cleaning and to his Hamptons house for yard work, former J-CAP staffers told The Post.” The current CEO of the organization told The Post: “To our knowledge, our staff do not have clients visiting their homes.”
- https://www.glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-J-CAP-EI_IE1387937.11,16.htm
- https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Qvcmh–jcap/reviews