About New Mexico VA Health Care System – Alamogordo CBOC
The New Mexico VA Health Care System, Alamogordo is a community based outpatient clinic (CBOC) on North White Sands Boulevard in Alamogordo, New Mexico. They offer outpatient mental health care services. These services include treatment for addiction as well as co-occurring disorders such as anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. They’re part of the Veterans Administration so the services here are for Veterans, active duty military, and their families.
If you’re a walk in patient and need mental health services, you can get a same day appointment even if you’re a new patient. At the CBOC, they use an evidence based approach to substance use disorder. They have medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid, alcohol, and tobacco use disorders. Medications include options such as methadone, extended release naltrexone, and combination buprenorphine drugs like Suboxone.
The center uses several evidence based therapies to help address addiction and possible co occuring disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the therapies. CBT helps you develop better, more positive thought patterns. CBT also helps you manage the urge to use drugs or drink, refuse substance use opportunities, and gain better problem solving skills to help you stop using substances and achieve your goals.
Other therapies used include motivational enhancement therapy (MET), motivational interviewing (MI), and contingency management (CM). In MI, you’ll discover your personal motivations for change and learn how to strengthen those motivations while exploring the benefits of changing. With MET, you’ll focus solely on changing your unhealthy use of substances.
CM is a type of therapy in which you’ll receive incentives for recovery behaviors like abstinence. As you become consistent in your recovery behaviors, the incentives increase. They use urine drug screens to verify abstinence. If you’re a Veteran, active duty military member, or family looking for substance use and mental health treatment in the Alamogordo area, this may be a good option for you. The clinic is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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Location
Accepted Insurance
Other Forms of Payment
Per session payment lets you pay for each treatment at the time of service. You may also pay for a certain number of sessions up front and then pay for more if needed. This format allows you to tailor the financial investment to your specific needs and avoid having a large lump sum payment due at the end of the treatment program.
Self-pay involves paying for treatment out of your own pocket. You can use savings or credit, get a personal loan, or receive help from family and friends to fund your treatment. If you don't have insurance or your insurance plan doesn't cover a specific program, self-pay can help ensure you still get the care you need.
Private insurance refers to any kind of healthcare coverage that isn't from the state or federal government. This includes individual and family plans offered by an employer or purchased from the Insurance Marketplace. Every plan will have different requirements and out of pocket costs so be sure to get the full details before you start treatment.
Military members, veterans, and eligible dependents have access to specific insurance programs that help them get the care they need. TRICARE and VA insurance can help you access low cost or no cost addiction and mental health treatment. Programs that accept military insurance often have targeted treatment focused on the unique challenges military members, veterans, and their families face.
Medicare is a federal program that provides health insurance for those 65 and older. It also serves people under 65 with chronic and disabling health challenges. To use Medicare for addiction treatment you need to find a program that accepts Medicare and is in network with your plan. Out of pocket costs and preauthorization requirements vary, so always check with your provider.
Financial aid can take many forms. Centers may have grants or scholarships available to clients who meet eligibility requirements. Programs that receive SAMHSA grants may have financial aid available for those who need treatment as well. Grants and scholarships can help you pai for treatment without having to repay.
Medicaid is a state based program that helps lower-income individuals and families pay for healthcare. Medicaid covers addiction treatment so those enrolled can use their coverage to pay for rehab. When a program accepts Medicaid the client often pays very little or nothing out of their own pocket.
Addiction Treatments
Levels of Care
Treatments
Many of those suffering from addiction also suffer from mental or emotional illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, or anxiety disorders. Rehab and other substance abuse facilities treating those with a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder administer psychiatric treatment to address the person's mental health issue in addition to drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
Mental health rehabs focus on helping individuals recover from mental illnesses like bipolar disorder, clinical depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and more. Mental health professionals at these facilities are trained to understand and treat mental health issues, both in individual and group settings.
Programs
Clinical Services
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.
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.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a modified form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a treatment designed to help people understand and ultimately affect the relationship between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. DBT is often used for individuals who struggle with self-harm behaviors, such as self-mutilation (cutting) and suicidal thoughts, urges, or attempts. It has been proven clinically effective for those who struggle with out-of-control emotions and mental health illnesses like Borderline Personality Disorder.
Recreation Therapy provides a broad range of activities and programs to assist Veteran patients with learning how to best use their spare time, how to cope recreationally with injuries and how to select positive recreational activities. Many of their recreation therapy programs, such as yoga and adaptive kayaking, are conducted on their medical center campus. This includes their annual Veterans Creative Arts Festival. However, some programs, such as their annual fly fishing program and wheelchair basketball, are held off campus.
Research clearly demonstrates that recovery is far more successful and sustainable when loved ones like family members participate in rehab and substance abuse treatment. Genetic factors may be at play when it comes to drug and alcohol addiction, as well as mental health issues. Family dynamics often play a critical role in addiction triggers, and if properly educated, family members can be a strong source of support when it comes to rehabilitation.
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.
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 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 (NRT) is a way of getting nicotine into the bloodstream without smoking. It uses products that supply low doses of nicotine to help people stop smoking. The goal of therapy is to cut down on cravings for nicotine and ease the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.
Nutrition and Food Service is committed to providing the best quality customer service to improve the health and satisfaction of their Veterans and their families. Nutrition and Food Services prepares and provides nutritious meals, snacks and nourishments to their inpatients, outpatients and long-term care residents. Their inpatient Dietitians review patients' nutritional status and assist Veterans in meeting their nutritional goals to aid in their recovery. Their outpatient Dietitians provide a variety of services including individualized nutritional counseling, group classes on a variety of topics, weight management classes and diabetes education. Tele-Nutrition is also available.
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.
Amenities
- Residential Setting
- Private Setting
- Desert Setting
Accreditations
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: 2475
Contact Information
3199 North White Sands Boulevard
Suite D10
Alamogordo, NM 88310