Choices of Louisiana, Inc. is a private, out-patient center with facilities located in Alexandria and LaPlace. Our out-patient facilities serve patients who are dependent on Heroin, OxyContin, and other Schedule II narcotics. The Choices facilities offer state-of-the-art medical services and have a highly-trained professional staff that is committed to the wellbeing of the patient and the community.
Choices of Louisiana requires the patient to present with physical symptoms of mild withdrawals from narcotics, one year documented physical dependency to narcotics, and evidence they have the ability to pay for services.
Treatment for narcotic dependence is one of the most widely studied treatments of any disease in the world. Choices’ out-patient program provides the dependent individual with an array of rehabilitative services. Appropriately prescribed medication relieves withdrawal symptoms, eliminates opioid cravings, and allows for normal functioning. The efficacy of appropriate medication increases significantly when coupled with counseling, on-site medical services, and other supportive treatment services. Choices of Louisiana utilizes Methadone and Suboxone as the appropriate proven medication for patients who are unable to maintain sobriety. The proper use of this medication prevents the spread of disease, stabilizes the patient for long-term employment, and improves the patient’s quality of life.
The goal of our facilities is to move the patient toward a drug-free lifestyle, if medically indicated. Patients who have co-occurring disorders may be maintained by medication for a longer length of time.
OPIOID ADDICTION TREATMENT SERVICES
Choices’ out-patient program provides the dependent individual with an array of rehabilitative services, including:
For individuals suffering from:
- Oxycontin Addiction
- Pain Pill Addiction
- Methadone Addiction
- Heroin Addiction
MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT (METHADONE)
Methadone is a synthetic pure mu opioid agonist with good oral bioavailability, and a long duration of action. Methadone prevents withdrawal symptoms and helps reduce drug cravings in opioid dependent individuals. It also blocks the euphoria produced by short acting opioids. This collection of attributes makes this drug an appropriate choice for opioid maintenance therapy.
Methadone was developed in Germany before the Second World War and was used as a substitute analgesic for morphine. Early research in the late 1940’s showed that it could also be used to treat withdrawal symptoms in heroin dependent individuals. In the early 1960s, Dole and Nyswander demonstrated the feasibility of using methadone as a maintenance medication although it was actually a Canadian researcher, Dr. Robert Halliday, who set up what may have been the first methadone maintenance treatment program in the world in British Colombia in 1963.
Methadone maintenance typically involves the daily oral administration of methadone over an extended period of time as a substitute for heroin or other short acting opioids to opioid dependent individuals. Once an individual has been stabilized on a dose of methadone, subsequent daily doses should not cause sedation, analgesia, or euphoria. Methadone is long acting; it can prevent the occurrence of withdrawal symptoms or cravings when a patient receives an optimal dose. This enables individuals to function normally and to perform mental and physical tasks without impairment. In sufficient doses, cross-tolerance to other opioids develops i.e. methadone “blocks” the euphoric effects of self-administered illicit opioids.
Numerous studies have shown that maintaining opioid dependent individuals on methadone has many benefits including: (1) reduced illicit drug usage, (2) improved self status as a result of access to treatment, (3) decreased transmission of HIV and HCV, HBV, (4) decreased illegal activity, (5) increased employment, (6) decreased cost to society and (7) decreased mortality. Further, one of the indirect benefits of methadone treatment is that patients come into contact with other services—counseling and vocational services.
SERVICES
DID YOU KNOW?
On October 20, 2018, the Hammond Clinic of Choices of Louisiana will be closed due to the Air Show that is scheduled for the Hammond Airport that day. There will be normal hours on Friday the 19th, and Monday the 22nd. This only affects the Hammond Clinic.
COUNSELING
Individual Counseling
All patients are assigned a primary counselor who is responsible for all case management responsibilities for the patient. Care is taken to assign the patient to the counselor who is best qualified to meet his/her individual needs. Individual counseling is the primary methodology of service delivery. Consistent with CARF requirements, Patient Centered Therapy is the predominant counseling methodology. Research suggest this methodology is best suited for a Medication Assisted Treatment setting and our experience shows an enhanced degree of patient involvement when Patient Centered Therapy is utilized, thus increasing patient ownership of the treatment process and increased levels of personal accountability. Individual counseling sessions also utilize additional Cognitive Behavioral techniques when indicated.
Patient progress/lack of progress is addressed in our weekly patient care monitoring meetings plus our weekly counseling staff training meetings. These formats allow a closer examination of the patient and the development of specific approaches and interventions. Patients who consistently fail to meet minimal treatment expectations will be referred for a multi-disciplinary staffing to formulate more intense treatment strategies.
Choices of Louisiana utilizes ongoing counselor training as a means to assure all counseling staff are informed on current treatment methodologies and best practices as applicable to Medication Assisted Treatment. This training format is also utilized to examine specific patient situations with the intention of preparing individualized treatment approaches. This process serves as a means to review prior recommendations to determine intervention effectiveness. This training mechanism is facilitated by one of Choices of Louisiana’s Certified Clinical Supervisors or an approved LPC supervisor.
Access to counseling should be an integral part of methadone maintenance treatment. Patients will have increased success in Methadone Maintenance Therapy when they receive appropriate counseling. It is important that patients have input both into where and what counseling services they receive. It is expected that where physicians are unable to provide counseling services directly, they would be familiar with the resources that are available in their community.
Family Counseling
Incorporates the patients’ families into the treatment and recovery process. The focus is to nurture, develop, and begin to repair those relationships that have been affected by the addiction.
Dual Diagnosis
Focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of patients who are affected by both a mental disorder or psychiatric issue and a drug or alcohol problem. These co-occurring issues must be recognized and treated to help facilitate a successful recovery.
Reality Therapy
Choices of Louisiana, Inc. will use Reality Therapy as a primary modality of therapy. Other cognitive/behavior therapy methodologies will also be administered with the goal being the shifting of control of the client from the addictive substance to the client himself. Methadone will be utilized as a pharmacological aid to help stabilize and detox those clients with an opiate addiction. Community resources such as legal aide and vocational rehabilitation will be referred as needed. Additionally, clients will be referred to Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, and public health centers.
Counseling can be structured around the following areas:
- Securing basic necessities such as housing, food and clothing
- Legal issues
- Life skills
- Coping with stress
- Identification and treatment of concurrent mental illness
- Issues of abuse — physical, sexual, emotional
- Parenting and family counseling
- Education about harm reduction
- Stopping drug use and preventing relapse
- Knowledgeable of MMT and abused substances (i.e. street names, effects, and drug interactions)
ACCREDITATIONS & LICENSING
Choices of Louisiana has been licensed by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals for more than 10 years. Additionally, our LaPlace and Alexandria facilities are approved by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA). Both of these Choices clinics have received accreditation of 3 years from the Commission for Accreditation of Rehabilitation (CARF), the highest level of accreditation possible. This accreditation has been earned every three years consecutively since 2002. Our Northshore location will be receiving its first survey for accreditation in late 2013.
Currently, Choices of Louisiana, Inc. is honored to be the Louisiana Addiction Service Provider of the Year, as deemed by the Louisiana Association of Substance Abuse Counselors and Trainers, Inc. (LASACT).
This award was given to the company at the state conference in July 2010 held in Baton Rouge, La. This association is the State’s leader in advocacy for patient’s rights, education, and rehabilitation services.