Phoenix Life Center Offers New, Supportive Model For Addiction Treatment
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- One American dies of a drug overdose every 11 minutes, and more than 2 million Americans are addicted to prescription painkillers.
As CBS2's Dr. Max Gomez reported, the opioid abuse epidemic is fueling a new expansion of drug addiction, and treatment centers have had to evolve.
Many of us remember Phoenix House as a pioneering program in alcohol and drug abuse treatment. But as the drug abuse problem has evolved, so have those addicted and their needs.
And since there now are insurance mandates to cover addiction treatment, the treatment centers have also been forced to evolve.
From the moment you walk up to the entrance of the former Brooklyn paint factor, it is pretty clear that you are not in a stereotypical drug addiction center. It is warm, clean and inviting – something that former addict Jermaine Browne said makes a difference.
"When you first come in, your self-esteem is so low, and it's like, someone really cares about me," Browne said.
It's called the Phoenix Life Center – a new treatment model that combines residential and outpatient addiction treatment under one roof.
"All levels of care are available to people, so no matter what their needs are, we can tailor-make a program that is right for them; that delivers the right intensity for the right amount of time for them as an individual," said Dr. Ben Nordstrom of Phoenix Life Centers.
Browne has been of cocaine and alcohol for two years. When he came to Phoenix, he was at a point in his life that is typical for addicts.
"I lost relationships with friends – can't be trusted anymore. Borrowing money, not giving it back, lying to my wife, promising my daughter I'd be there for her soccer game, not showing up or showing up drunk," he said.
A new Phoenix Life Center is about to open in DUMBO. The residents' rooms are inviting and comfortable, with views of the Manhattan skyline.
For addicts who need to detox, there is a modern clinical area, with a nurses' station that allows for close supervision of patients.
There are art therapy areas, and most importantly, a café serving nutritious meals prepared by a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef.
The concept is also to allow for a smooth, supportive transition through different levels of addiction care, from residential to outpatient.
"There's a warm hand off, where they get to see the program before they have to go there for the first time," Nordstrom said.
Still, Dr. Harris Stratyner of the Caron Treatment Centers cautioned that while the Phoenix approach is commendable, it can be hard to mix addicts from very different socioeconomic levels.
"So they could relate to the psychosocial and environmental stressors to their fellow patients," that is, what drove them to substance abuse in the first place, Stratyner said.
The Phoenix Life Centers program is designed for a somewhat narrower range of addicts – mostly those with some form of health insurance, which by law must now cover addiction treatment.
It is an impressive evolution in addiction treatment that aims at various groups that are driving the opioid crisis.
