ABOUT FIRST HOSPITAL – CHOICES (CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY TREATMENT)
First Hospital, part of the Commonwealth Health hospital network in northeastern Pennsylvania, is home to CHOICES Chemical Dependency Treatment. CHOICES offers a full continuum of treatment services for individuals struggling with substance abuse and co-occurring disorders. Programming includes inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, and medication-assisted treatment for opiate dependence.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
Clients may be referred to CHOICES by healthcare professionals or seek out an initial consultation with one of the hospital’s intake staff. Individuals who require an intensive level of care typically opt for inpatient treatment, which offers counseling and guidance based on 12-step principles. Family members are encouraged to participate in their loved one’s recovery and may enroll in the center’s family program at no additional cost.
CHOICES’ outpatient treatment offers similar programming, but affords clients more flexibility with day and evening sessions. For individuals struggling with opiate addiction, the center offers two options. The CHOICES Recovery Program is a methadone-to-abstinence program that includes medical care. According to the facility’s website, eligibility is based on federally mandated guidelines, and pregnant patients are given priority admission. Alternatively, the OASIS Program provides Suboxone-assisted programming. This level of care is supervised by a physician who specializes in opiate addiction.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
According to the facility’s website, the CHOICES treatment team includes physicians, nurses, certified addiction counselors, and drug and alcohol therapists.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
In its entirety, First Hospital can accommodate up to 155 patients. The dozen individuals polled by Best-rehabs.com – a mix of alumni and loved ones – gave the center’s accommodations an average rating of four out of five stars.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
The three alumni polled by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing provided mixed feedback regarding their treatment at CHOICES. Two individuals noted that they would recommend the program, awarding above-average ratings in many evaluated categories, including the staff’s level of training and experience, the center’s accommodations, its level of cleanliness, and the facility’s meals and nutrition. However, the third alum told Best-rehabs.com that they would not recommend the facility, citing the center’s limited visitor policy, lack of exercise programming, “poor nutritional options,” and staff that “sometimes appeared high.”
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
When asked how likely they were to recommend the facility, the seven loved ones polled by Best-rehabs.com provided an average rating of 3.29 out of five stars. “It did the job for my relative,” an anonymous respondent wrote in a representative review. Friends and family members were most impressed with the center’s affordability and its cleanliness, which earned ratings of 3.86 and 3.83 stars, respectively. The staff’s level of training and experience also received an above-average rating of 3.43 stars, and the program’s family participation received 3.57 stars. “Staff knew what they were talking about, sessions helped, location was good,” one loved one wrote.
The lowest rating overall, 1.86 stars, went to CHOICES’ holistic offerings. Loved ones were also less impressed with the program’s counseling options and the center’s exercise and leisure options, both of which received ratings of 2.57 stars. “Very respectful facility, just needs more leisure activities,” one loved one told Best-rehabs.com.
FINANCING
According to the facility’s website, First Hospital accepts most insurance, as well as Medicare and Medicaid. Some payment plans are available.