ABOUT MOUNTAIN STATES HEALTH ALLIANCE – WOODRIDGE HOSPITAL
Woodridge Hospital is one of 12 nonprofit Mountain State Health Alliance (MSHA) facilities located throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Virginia. The Johnson City Medical Center-affiliated facility provides holistic residential, outpatient, and intensive outpatient (IOP) care for those struggling with substance abuse as well as mental health care for adults, adolescents, and children. Medical detox is available on-site. MHSA also offers inpatient and outpatient behavioral health care at Indian Path Medical Center in Kingsport.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
Detoxification services at Woodridge Hospital combine medical support for withdrawal symptoms with cognitive behavioral therapy and 12-step meetings.
Patients who continue with a short-term stay on-site participate in individual, group, and family counseling, along with yoga, meditation, and an array of expressive therapies. The treatment team assembles the most suitable individualized program, drawing from such activities as art, music, drama, and writing. Pet therapy, spiritual care, nutritional services, education, and medication management are also provided.
In addition to detox and substance use disorder tracks, Woodridge operates acute psychiatric adult, child and adolescent, and geriatric units. Throughout each program, discharge planning is prioritized, preparing patients to transition into continuing care.
Intensive outpatient programming is available during day and evening hours, with separate tracks for psychiatric care and dual diagnosis treatment designed to address co-occurring substance use and other mental health disorders. Clients meet three times a week in groups focused on relapse prevention and coping skills. The IOP includes 18 sessions across six to eight weeks.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
The treatment staff at Mountain States Health Alliance’s Woodridge Hospital includes psychiatric doctors and nurses, master’s level therapists, expressive therapists. and social workers. Cultural sensitivity and training for cultural competency are emphasized on the MSHA website.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
Woodridge Hospital is an 84-bed facility, which includes the 26-bed Poplar Unit for detoxification. Located across the the street from Johnson City Medical Center, the hospital maintains a Healing Garden and a greenhouse, which patients use for aromatherapy experiences.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Woodridge Hospital received divided reviews from alumni. Of five alumni polled by Best-rehabs.com to date, two would recommend the facility to others, two would not, and one was neutral. Of 15 metrics measured, the effectiveness of treatment received the highest average rating at 3.6 stars. Holistic therapy offerings received the lowest at 2.2 stars, despite the hospital’s emphasis on expressive and other alternative therapies. “Not enough spiritual healing, body and mind,” one alum wrote.
Overall, alumni opinion on the staff was mixed, with an average rating of three stars for the staff’s level of training and experience. One anonymous reviewer identified therapists as underqualified, while another cited doctors as a facility strength. Two of the reviewers who gave the facility low overall ratings nevertheless shared positive opinions of the staff, while one appreciated group counseling but characterized their counselor as rude.
Alumni generally found accommodations satisfying, rating the facility’s cleanliness and upkeep 3.4 stars on average and exercise and leisure activity 3.6. Again, however, some opinions were polarized: one alum reported being bored and another identified extracurricular activities as a strength. One approved particularly of the food and another reported food freshness as a weakness.
Other areas assessed included the hospital’s capacity to treat co-occurring illness and the affordability of treatment, both of which received 3.2-star ratings on average.
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
When asked, on a scale from one to five, whether they would recommend treatment at Woodridge Hospital, the 10 loved ones polled to date gave an average rating of 3.8 out of five, a full point higher than the average score from alumni. All indicated that the effectiveness of treatment was satisfactory or strong. On the other hand, friends and family agreed with alumni on the poor holistic offerings, with a 2.2-star rating.
Loved ones also agreed with each other that family participation was a highlight of the facility, with an average rating of 4.2 out of five. Several hospital aspects were repeatedly identified as weaknesses, though, including a dated (although clean) facility, the food, the cost of treatment, and a need for more variety of programming and longer stays, a concern shared by one alum. One alum wrote that “no resources were given upon discharge” to support aftercare.
Staff received overall favorable reviews. One-third of loved ones’ reviews characterized the treatment team as caring.
FINANCING
The Mountain State Health Alliance website notes that some insurance plans are accepted and payment plans are individualized. An application for financial assistance is provided online with policies posted in English and Spanish. Thirteen individuals contributed to a 3.1-star average rating of the affordability of treatment, including three who expressed concerns about the cost.