ABOUT WHEATON FRANCISCAN HEALTHCARE – MENTAL HEALTH & ADDICTION CARE
Located on Milwaukee’s South Side, Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare’s St. Francis Hospital is a full-service hospital that has been in operation since 1956. Its Mental Health & Addiction Care department provides inpatient and partial hospitalization programs (PHP) for adults and adolescents, one of Wisconsin’s 24 substance abuse treatment facilities that offers hospital inpatient care. Medically-managed detox services are available on-site.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
All clients undergo an assessment upon admission to develop an individualized treatment plan. Clients who are recommended for inpatient treatment also will receive a medical screening. The 12-step model and philosophy is the basis of the facility’s chemical dependency treatment programs.
The inpatient program for adults is evidence-based and includes group therapy, medication management, and occupational therapy, along with Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA) treatment, which teaches skills and strategies for relapse prevention for clients to maintain sobriety. There is a dedicated inpatient unit for adolescents, ages 12 to 17 years, located at Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare’s All Saint’s hospital, which is about a half hour away in Racine, Wis.
Comprehensive discharge planning is tailored to each client and may include case management, referrals for psychiatry, medical care, medication management, housing resources, and outpatient treatment. The hospital also offers numerous aftercare opportunities, including on-site support groups.
PHPs at St. Francis are offered to both adults and adolescents. A number of dedicated adult services are available, including a 12-step chemical dependency program, a mental health program that utilizes mostly cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and a mental health and chemical dependency program for clients with co-occurring disorders. All programs meet for four hours a day, Monday through Friday.
There also is a dedicated PHP for adolescents, which consists of individual, group, and family therapy, along with educational services, and occupational and recreational therapies. Clients attend the program during the day, two to five times per week, as indicated in their treatment plan.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
The facility is accredited by The Joint Commission and certified by the State of Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services. The treatment team includes psychiatrists with a wide range of specialties, including doctors certified in the treatment of addiction, as well as psychologists, alcohol and drug abuse counselors, clinical therapists, nurses, nutritionists, pharmacists, social workers, occupational and recreational specialists, as well as dietitians and chaplains.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare’s St. Francis Hospital is located in a quiet, residential area. The adult Mental Health & Addiction Care unit is locked and visitors are escorted in and out by staff.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Four former clients polled by Best-rehabs.com to date provided positive feedback about the facility. Several cited the staff and flexibility as strengths of the facility. In a representative review, an anonymous alum wrote: “I felt connected with the therapist and to others within the group. It was more personal.” Negative comments concerned shortages of doctors and staff, as well as the need for better communication and a gym.
Facility’s Cleanliness: 4.5/5
Staff’s Level of Experience and Training: 4.3/5
Amount of Family Participation: 4.3/5
On secondary review sites, Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare’s St. Francis Hospital, as a whole, rather than its Mental Health & Addiction Care department specifically received mixed reviews: 2.6 out of five stars based on 68 reviews on Google reviews; three stars based on five reviews on Yellowpages.com; and 3.7 stars based on 360 reviews on Facebook, which the organization can manage.
Feedback about the hospital overall ranged from high to low throughout reviews, from kind, helpful, considerate staff and physicians with clean conditions to unprofessional, unkind treatment, long waits, and terrible experience.
FINANCING
According to the facility’s website, most major insurance plans are accepted, as well as Medicaid and Medicare. Private pay also can be arranged at the time of registration. The alumni polled by Best-rehabs.com felt the facility was overall affordable.
Affordability: 4/5