VA Maryland Health Care System – Baltimore VA Annex - Baltimore, MD

About the Facility

Baltimore VA Annex, part of the VA Maryland Health Care System, is located in Baltimore, MD. VA Maryland Health Care System - Baltimore VA Annex specializes in the treatment of Primary Care and Mental Health Care.

VA Maryland Health Care System – Baltimore VA Annex exists to serve the veteran through the delivery of timely quality care by staff who demonstrate outstanding customer service. They hope to serve and honor the nation’s veterans following President Lincoln’s promise “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan”.

The Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Coordinator is available to provide information about mental health services available to Veterans impacted by MST. The MST Coordinator is also available to assist with treatment coordination for Veterans with mental health needs directly related to an experience of MST.

They also provide Veterans with Telehealth, for access to health care that is timely, more convenient and easier to access through the use of new healthcare technology including video conferencing and health monitoring devices that can connect patients to their health care team.

Accreditations

CARF

The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) is a non-profit organization that specifically accredits rehab organizations. Founded in 1966, CARF's, mission is to help service providers like rehab facilities maintain high standards of care.

CARF Accreditation: Yes
Accreditation Number: 244413

Joint Commission

The Joint Commission, formerly known as JCAHO, is a nonprofit organization that accredits rehab organizations and programs. Founded in 1951, the Joint Commision's mission is to improve the quality of patient care and demonstrating the quality of patient care.

Joint Commission Accreditation: Yes
Accreditation Number: 254126

Treatment

Mental Health

Treatment for drug and alcohol addiction often centers on improving mental health. Inpatient care is ideal for people who need closer monitoring while receiving therapeutic and mental health services. Standard therapies include group and individual counseling, relapse prevention education, coping skills training, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing and family support groups. With all critical therapies combined, there is a greater chance for improving mental health and achieving sustained recovery.

Insurance and Financial

Medicaid
Private insurance
Self-pay options
Medicare
Military insurance
Daily
Per session
Free
Sliding scale payment assistance

Programs

Adult program
Elderly program
Hearing impaired program
HIV/AIDS program
LGBTQ program: The VA Maryland Health Care System is committed to providing top quality care to all Veterans including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Veterans. They recognize that diverse populations have distinctive needs, and are training their staff in culturally and clinically-competent care for LGBT Veterans. They are focused on providing the most respectful health care environment possible.
Military program
Program for men
Program for women
Young adult program

Levels of Care

Outpatient

Clients who are exiting detox or intensive inpatient treatment often enroll in outpatient rehab programs to ensure a robust continuity of care. Outpatient programs allow clients to remain in or return to their homes and workplaces while continuing to receive treatment, which typically includes addiction counseling and recovery-focused life skills training. Clients in opioid and/or alcohol recovery may also receive medication assisted treatment (MAT), including medication induction and maintenance, at an outpatient facility.

Inpatient

Residential treatment programs are those that offer housing and meals in addition to substance abuse treatment. Rehab facilities that offer residential treatment allow patients to focus solely on recovery, in an environment totally separate from their lives. Some rehab centers specialize in short-term residential treatment (a few days to a week or two), while others solely provide treatment on a long-term basis (several weeks to months). Some offer both, and tailor treatment to the patient's individual requirements.

24-Hour Clinical Care

At certain points in the recovery process, it's important to have support available 24/7. 24-hour clinical care offers a safe environment in which to recover from drug or alcohol addiction in peace, knowing medical detox and other treatment will happen with professionals on hand.

Intensive Outpatient

Clients who are leaving inpatient rehab often choose to transition into an intensive outpatient program (IOP) to receive high-level support as they reintegrate into their home, workplace, and community. Intensive outpatient rehab also benefits those at risk of relapse. Clients typically participate in nine to 20 hours of treatment weekly, with modalities ranging from psychotherapy to addiction and recovery education. Many programs also provide medication assisted treatment (MAT) and complementary care, such as nutrition counseling, and acupuncture.

Aftercare Support

Completing a drug or alcohol rehab program shouldn't spell the end of substance abuse treatment. Aftercare involves making a sustainable plan for recovery, including ongoing support. This can include sober living arrangements like halfway houses, career counseling, and setting a patient up with community programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA).

Sober Living Homes

You’ll typically find a sober living home in Maryland located in a peaceful, quiet neighborhood. These private residences are designed to offer a low-stress but structured environment where residents can focus on their ongoing recovery efforts and receive support to maintain sobriety. Several individuals, all of whom are in recovery, share the halfway house. This type of communal living helps decrease relapse, increase employment rates, and helps individuals hone their recovery skills.

Intervention Services

Intervention services helps family or friends of addicts stage an intervention, which is a meeting in which loved ones share their concerns and attempt to get an addict into treatment. Professional intervention specialists can help loved ones organize, gather, and communicate with an addict. They can guide intervention participants in describing the damage the addict's behavior is causing and that outside help is necessary to address the addiction. The ideal outcome of an intervention is for the addict to go to rehab and get the help they need.

Clinical Services

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a therapy modality that focuses on the relationship between one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is used to establish and allow for healthy responses to thoughts and feelings (instead of unhealthy responses, like using drugs or alcohol). CBT has been proven effective for recovering addicts of all kinds, and is used to strengthen a patient's own self-awareness and ability to self-regulate. CBT allows individuals to monitor their own emotional state, become more adept at communicating with others, and manage stress without needing to engage in substance abuse.

Couples Therapy

Whether a marriage or other committed relationship, an intimate partnership is one of the most important aspects of a person's life. Drug and alcohol addiction affects both members of a couple in deep and meaningful ways, as does rehab and recovery. Couples therapy and other couples-focused treatment programs are significant parts of exploring triggers of addiction, as well as learning how to build healthy patterns to support ongoing sobriety.

Experiential Therapy

Experiential therapy is a form of therapy in which clients are encouraged to surface and work through subconscious issues by engaging in real-time experiences. Experiential therapy departs from traditional talk therapy by involving the body, and having clients engage in activities, movements, and physical and emotional expression. This can involve role-play or using props (which can include other people). Experiential therapy can help people process trauma, memories, and emotion quickly, deeply, and in a lasting fashion, leading to substantial and impactful healing.

Family Therapy

Sometimes, as part of a Veteran’s treatment, some members of the Veteran’s immediate family or the Veteran’s legal guardian may be included and receive services, such as family therapy, marriage counseling, grief counseling, etc. Family members might learn how to recognize symptoms and support recovery. In some treatment settings, a brief course of couples counseling or family therapy may be offered.

Group Therapy

Group therapy is any therapeutic work that happens in a group (not one-on-one). There are a number of different group therapy modalities, including support groups, experiential therapy, psycho-education, and more. Group therapy involves treatment as well as processing interaction between group members.

Individual Therapy

In individual therapy, a patient meets one-on-one with a trained psychologist or counselor. Therapy is a pivotal part of effective substance abuse treatment, as it often covers root causes of addiction, including challenges faced by the patient in their social, family, and work/school life.

Life Skills

Life skills trainings involve all the skills a person must have in order to function successfully in the world. These include time management, career guidance, money management, and effective communication. Truly successful addiction recovery is based on the ability to not only live substance-free, but to thrive. Life skills teaches the practical necessities of functioning in society, which sets clients up for success in life, and therefore sobriety.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

The VA Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS) offers a variety of programs for tobacco users who want to quit. They serve Veterans who are just starting to think about quitting, those who have made a commitment to quit, and those who have been trying to quit, but are having difficulty. They offer medications to address the physical aspects of addiction as well as counseling and support programs to help you change the habits, behaviors, and emotions that are related to tobacco use. Veterans who are most likely to quit are those who use medications combined with counseling and support.

Nutrition Therapy

Nutrition therapy, aka medical nutrition therapy (MNT), is a way of treating physical, emotional, and medical conditions through diet. Specific dietary plans are designed by professional nutritionists or registered dietitians, and patients follow them in order to positively affect their physical and mental health.

Trauma Therapy

Trauma therapy addresses traumatic incidents from a client's past that are likely affecting their present-day experience. Trauma is often one of the primary triggers and potential causes of addiction, and can stem from child sexual abuse, domestic violence, having a parent with a mental illness, losing one or both parents at a young age, teenage or adult sexual assault, or any number of other factors. The purpose of trauma therapy is to allow a patient to process trauma and move through and past it, with the help of trained and compassionate mental health professionals.