New Directions for Women and Carelon work together towards the same common goal
Carelon has been helping people with their health care needs for more than 30 years and has changed the way that people live with behavioral health conditions. New Directions for Women and Carelon work together towards the same common goal: to support women in recovery and allow them to get help for their alcoholism or addiction problem. At our facility, we follow all protocols and guidelines that are determined by Carelon Health Options.
Carelon Health Options: Who are They?
Carelon Health Options is the undisputed leader in behavioral health management. Carelon serves 40 million people in all 50 states. Carelon provides:
- Mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) management
- Comprehensive employee assistance program (EAP)
- Work/life support
- Special programs for autism and depression
- Analysis to improve care delivery
To do this, Carelon has access to a vast network of behavioral health providers and facilities. This includes all levels of specialty mental health and addiction services. This way, members can access the right care, at the right intensity, and at the right time.
Individual Focus
Carelon focuses care on the individual and provides custom-made solutions at the local level. Because of this, they have a real understanding of the people they serve. This ranges from the most vulnerable people to members of the military and their families, to Fortune 500 employees and their families.
Clinical expertise and proven solutions aren’t the only ideals Carelon is built on. It’s also created through lived experience and commitment to serve others. Because Carelon is exclusively focused on behavioral health management, they are driven to help people with mental illness or substance use disorders. Carelon wants you to live your life to its fullest potential.
Expertise
After 35 years of experience, and 40 million people helped, Carelon has a full understanding of today’s behavioral health challenges. They know what it takes to overcome them. It doesn’t matter if you’re dealing with everyday stresses, relationship issues, a child’s autism, a SUD, or long-term mental health illness. Carelon’s clinical health expertise can make a significant difference in your life
Insurance for Addiction
NDFW works with quality insurance providers to help our clients get the treatment they deserve.
Serving over 40 million people in all 50 states
Mental Health Management
Employee Assistance Program
Substance Use Management
Programs for Autism & Depression
Carelon Health Options Facts
- National headquarters are in Boston, with more than 70 locations across the country
- 4,700 employees nationally
- Serves more than 40 million people
- Partners with 65 health plans that serve commercial, FEP (federal employee programs), Medicare and Medicaid
- Serves 5.4 million military personnel and their families
Why Substance Use Disorder Treatment is Important
First of all, substance use is an expensive problem. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that substance abuse costs more than $740 billion a year in crime, healthcare costs, and lost productivity.
In addition to money, addiction care is important for other important reasons. It keeps people from tying up emergency rooms for drug overdoses. Getting people off drugs and alcohol helps keep them from going to jail. It also prevents all the other problems that come with drug and alcohol use disorders.
Dual Diagnosis
Substance misuse and mental health disorders affect each other. It’s common for individuals with a mental health disorder to use drugs or alcohol as a way of self-treating. Likewise, people who become addicted to drugs may develop mental health problems due to their use of drugs.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has estimated that 7.9 million adults have both a SUD and a mental disorder. The presence of a SUD and a mental health disorder in an individual at the same time is called a dual diagnosis. In these cases it’s important to treat both conditions at the same time. At New Directions for Women, we are experienced in treating this complicated condition.
Also, the effects of drug use cross generational lines. Children who are exposed to adults who do drugs are more likely to have issues with drug use themselves. Treating the substance use problem of the parent is a way to help prevent drug use in their children.
Carelon’s Partnership with New Directions for Women
Carelon focuses on improving the health and well being of individuals coping with mental health and substance use conditions. They make this a reality through recovery-focused programs and effective partnerships with their clients and New Directions for Women.
Our facility at New Directions for Women holds a license to treat women for addiction and substance use disorders in the state of California. All the philosophies we use follow the American Society for Addiction Medicine (ASAM). We are CARF accredited and ASAM certified, aiming to be as knowledgeable as possible on substance abuse while meeting each woman where they are at in their recovery journey.
New Directions for Women treats each woman in our program based on their needs and offers a continuum of care.
Levels of Care Offered at New Directions
Detox
Drug and alcohol withdrawal can be a painful process. There are several brain and hormonal systems that are affected by drug and alcohol use. When it ends they are thrown into confusion. Some effects of withdrawal include:
- High or unstable blood pressure
- Heavy sweating
- Tremors
- Severe nausea and vomiting
- Physical pain
This is why it is important to go through detoxification and withdrawal in a detox facility where you will have medical support 24 hours a day. If it becomes necessary, medical personnel will provide medication to ease the symptoms.
Residential Treatment
Residential treatment allows people to have 24-hour care while attending therapy and counseling sessions. By living at the treatment facility, people struggling with substance use disorder can access a higher level of care that therapy alone can’t provide.
The intense services offered by residential treatment centers require that people leave their homes and live at the treatment facility. By doing this, they are isolated away from any influences to use. Because a lot of women don’t seek treatment due to commitments to home and family, New Directions has programs that address the issue for women with children.
Partial Day
This is also known as a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP). In a partial day program, the client stays in the facility for about 20 hours per week. You do not stay overnight. Thus, the partial day program provides a blend of outpatient and residential in that you have individual and group therapy with medical services.
People who enter treatment in a residential program can step down to the partial day program for further treatment. Often, people who complete residential treatment, and don’t have a good support system at home, opt for the partial day program or intensive outpatient treatment.
Intensive Outpatient
Intensive outpatient treatment (IOP) is a lower level of care than the partial day program but it still has a therapy and counseling structure. People in IOP attend counseling sessions several days a week for 3 or 4 hours each day. Again, the IOP can be used as a step down in treatment from the partial day or residential treatment programs. Clearly, individuals have more independence but outpatient treatment is best if the individual has a strong support network at home.
Sober Living
Sober living houses are alcohol and drug-free living environments for people trying to maintain their abstinence from drugs or alcohol. These homes provide safe living situations and supportive, structured conditions for people leaving drug treatment programs.
Although it is a residence, the people that live there are not supervised. There are rules regarding chores, attendance at meetings, and curfews. Residents receive support and relapse prevention strategies from people in the same situation. This is another good stepping stone into full independence and long-term abstinence.
Aftercare
The longer a person continues in treatment after their primary treatment program, the better their chance at life-long abstinence. The National Council of Alcoholism and Drug Dependency reported that at least 3 months of continued care for maintenance is needed to significantly increase the potential for one-year abstinence. It doesn’t matter how long the initial treatment program is, continuing care of even as little as once a week can make a meaningful difference.
New Directions offers aftercare programs including:
- Support groups: Support groups are a good source for discussing relapse prevention and looking at issues from different perspectives.
- Counseling: Continuing therapy regularly elevates your chances for long-term recovery, especially if you are dealing with a co-occurring disorder.
- Alumni programs: New Directions has a community of women who have completed programs. These women get together through events, newsletters, and trips to help and support each other as people recovering from addiction.
You Are the Priority at New Directions for Women
If you have a SUD and Carelon insurance, you could be well on your way to recovery right now. New Directions’ certified medical personnel will create an individualized treatment program for you. We specialize in women’s issues and we are acquainted with the obstacles to treatment that women face.
New Directions for Women and Carelon are available any time of day to help answer questions about your health care services or insurance options. We are contracted with Carelon for all levels of client care. Our common goal is to support and treat women suffering from addiction or substance use disorders. If you or a loved one is looking for addiction treatment services for women and you have a question about insurance or our services, please contact us. Do it for yourself or someone you love.
