ABOUT VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA UTAH ADULT DETOXIFICATION CENTER
Founded in 1896, Volunteers of America is a faith-based, nationwide nonprofit that provides housing, treatment services, and other support for low-income individuals, veterans, the elderly, the homeless, the formerly incarcerated, individuals struggling with addiction, and other vulnerable populations.
Volunteers of America’s Utah branch provides a variety of services for individuals struggling with homelessness, addiction, and mental illness. Addiction services include prevention work, DUI classes, and an adult detox center that offers social model — i.e. non-medical — detox, with a special track for mothers and a jail-diversion program. Treatment is reserved for low-income individuals and/or those experiencing homelessness.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
Clients may stay at the facility for up to 14 days. Costs are kept low enough to offer free or reduced-price treatment by offering detox on a social rather than a medical model. Under the social model, clients’ vital signs are monitored, they interact with others and receive case management services, and they stay in a safe environment that prioritizes good nutrition, but they do not receive medications to ease the symptoms of withdrawal.
Beyond withdrawal from intoxicating substances, the center provides assessments and referrals to further services, and hosts 12-step meetings on-site, which residents are required to attend.
The dedicated program for women allows homeless women with children to access a detox program, though the facility’s website does not specify how, or whether childcare services are provided.
For the jail diversion program, the adult detox unit partners with local law enforcement agencies to provide an alternative to incarceration for people arrested for public intoxication. In order to qualify, new clients should be intoxicated, medically stable, and willing to come to the detox center, including not being combative.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
There is currently no information provided by the facility regarding its treatment staff, however, the single individual polled by Best-rehabs.com to date gave the facility four out of five stars for its staff’s level of training and experience.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
The detox center offers 65 beds. There is currently no further information provided by the facility regarding its living arrangements and related offerings, however, the single individual polled by Best-rehabs.com to date gave the facility five stars for its accommodations and meals and four stars for its cleanliness and exercise/leisure offerings.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Best-rehabs.com has not yet received any reviews directly from alumni of the adult detoxification center, and secondary sites yielded mixed results at the time of this writing: two one-star ratings, a three-star rating, and a five-star rating, all left on Google.[1] The five-star reviewer left no accompanying commentary, but the three-star reviewer, D.C., wrote: “The over-all atmosphere was comforting and friendly. The staff was 50/50, some were very nice & helpful and some would give you dirty looks & tell you not to speak to them if it wasn’t a desk hour.” This was not the only complaint, but there was no overlap between the reviewers’ complaints, which variously cited poor security, difficulty getting hold of staff to book in to treatment, insufficient instruction on the program, insufficient contact with family members, and stringent rules about methadone leading to someone leaving the detox program early.
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
The single loved one polled by Best-rehabs.com to date would recommend treatment at the adult detoxification center. “High success rate,” they wrote, also praising the facility’s security and giving the center five stars for its treatment effectiveness and four stars in almost all of the remaining treatment metrics, including its holistic offerings, family participation, counseling options, and ability to treat co-occurring disorders.
FINANCING
Treatment is offered free of charge to Salt Lake City residents, and for $115/night for those who come from outside of the city.
[1] https://goo.gl/4Af3u4