Med Surg Continues to Make Move into Addictions Care

Addiction Treatment Industry Newswire

09/17/2014 -ATIN – In the continuing trend of medical surgical hospitals making a big push to re-enter the addiction treatment business, after basically completely exiting the market post managed care except in some key markets like New York and Chicago, an Eastern Nebraska med surg has made a substantial $6.1 million investment completely upgrading their facility and program, an especially large commitment to addictions considering it comes from a small rural hospital with only 350 or so beds.

Bryan Medical Center

The investment is being made in a much needed rural community, which have suffered greatly throughout the U.S. from a lack of addiction treatment facilities and programs. For the past almost 40 yrs the program was housed in what was becoming an increasingly dilapidated but highly historic former nurses dormitory at Bryan Medical Center in Lincoln, NB, with exposed piping an the like.

New Independence Center

Next week, patients will begin using a new, $6.1 million Independence Center built with the help of donations and designed for modern use. The remodeled building, once exclusively the mental health clinic, offers better security and supervision. From the nurses station in the inpatient area, staff can look into lounges for both juvenile and adult patients and into the exercise room. The inpatient and outpatient programs are separate, and soundproofing throughout the building helps protect confidentiality. The design limits places to hide drugs. And it’s very suicide-safe, with towel hooks that collapse with heavy weight and blinds that don’t have strings. There are more than two dozen security cameras nurses have access through a WI-FI Internet system.

Trend Setter?

According to local published reports, Impendence Center has been a real national trend setter in addiction. Center officials told local reporters The Independence Center is a hospital-based treatment program begun in 1971. It was apparently one of the first in the country to offer outpatient care and after-care for patients once they went home, and among the first to involve families in the treatment program.

READ our report on med surg’s move back as big competitive force

READ our report on George Mann… 1980s pioneer of big growth in Med Surg Programs

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