Information for Professionals

New Start Center for Recovery is a 30-bed free-standing facility located on the campus of Intermountain Hospital in Boise, Idaho. This program is focused on adults who are seeking treatment for the use or abuse of alcohol, illicit drugs, or prescription medications and who may also have issues with past trauma, depression, post-traumatic stress, anxiety or other emotional and mental health concerns.

New Start is a 21 to 28 day inpatient treatment program which integrates substance abuse treatment with medical and nursing care, mental health issues management, as well as case management, group counseling, and individual sessions. The program offers a balanced, flexible approach to the treatment of substance abuse diagnoses.

Treatment is initiated with the stabilization of the patient based on their presenting needs, and occurs in a safe and supporting environment. If an individual requires a monitored, managed detox and evaluation, this may be accessed at Intermountain Hospital prior to admission to the New Start Program. The focus of New Start is on the recovery process, with an additional strong emphasis on the stressors and trauma that often accompany addiction.

The Philosophy of Treatment

Our program is based on the concepts of Alfred Adler, with the basic premise being that patients have a subjective frame of reference that includes an individual's thoughts, feelings, experiences, beliefs, attitudes, characteristics and actions that influence their issues. Our goal is to work collaboratively through specific treatment modalities to help individuals know who they are, and to recognize thoughts and behavior that contribute to their disease and unhealthy choices. At some point in the addictive life style, the individual's views have become dysfunctional and ineffective in dealing with societal relationships. The Adlerian Approach, as we have adopted, attempts to view the individual's perspective and help change the major mistakes in thinking and values to support the transition to recovery. Individual and group work is offered in a supportive compassionate manner with particular focus on past trauma.

Additionally, our counselors and staff draw from multiple other treatment perspectives to meet the person's assessed needs, strengths, and co-occurring mental health issues.

The goal of treatment is to provide education; support insight and clarity into one's mental health concerns and the thinking and habits that accompany their addictive behaviors. Through our intensively structured program we work to help prepare the patient to generalize their inpatient experience and transfer what they have gained for sustained recovery following discharge.

An additional area related to chemical dependence has now become a serious and challenging treatment issue for patients we treat. Currently referred to as the "Invisible Epidemic," this issue is the growing and unreported use of prescription medications. The two types of drug most commonly abused are opioids for pain, and benzodiazepines or tranquillizers used to manage stress/anxiety. Because of their insidious nature, addiction to and withdrawal from prescription drugs can be more dangerous for individuals. Many individuals start these medications as part of a short term treatment for pain and anxiety and after five to seven days can begin to develop a tolerance. This is the body's ability to adapt to these medications. Tolerance then becomes defined as a state of progressively decreased responsiveness to a drug which results in larger doses being taken to achieve the effect originally obtained by a smaller dose. This is further complicated if the person suffers from chronic pain and/or mental health concerns.

Our program works with individuals with prescription addiction by assessing the underlying issues that lead to the dependence/addiction. The psychiatrist, counselors, and 24 hour a day licensed nursing staff work to help the patient with these issues.

Scope of Services

New Start Center for Recovery serves adults and provides three to four weeks of inpatient treatment, including detoxification which is usually provided at Intermountain Hospital or other treatment facility prior to admission to New Start. The focus of treatment is ongoing recovery from drugs and/or alcohol with an additional strong focus on stressors, trauma, emotional or mental health concerns.

Treatment begins with an integrated assessment process that includes nursing, psychiatric, and psycho-social assessment. A chemical dependency evaluation is completed by a substance abuse counselor. This assessment is based on the six dimensions of ASAM (American Society of Addiction Medicine).

Based on the identified assessed needs of the patient, an Initial Treatment Plan is formulated. This plan is the basis for the Master Treatment Plan (MTP), which is completed within 72 hours and reviewed weekly thereafter. The patient is an active part of the interdisciplinary team that develops, reviews, revises and updates this plan as part of ongoing treatment. There is a strong focus on an aftercare plan from the onset of treatment, to assure a discharge that will continue to support recovery.

Treatment contains components of psycho-educational classes, experiential activities, cognitive-behavioral therapies, mental health support and education, interactive recreation activities, family counseling and support, relapse prevention, processing shame, guilt, and blame, and awareness of the impact of co-dependent behaviors. The overall program is provided with the hope of helping individuals gain and maintain their sobriety.

Screening

All individuals seeking treatment in New Start will be first screened through Intermountain's Admission and Referral Department for their immediate medical (includes detox), psychiatric and safety concerns. Consideration is immediately given to the potential for detoxification needs. Program components include the following:

Psychiatric, Medical and Nursing Care
Patients are seen daily by their psychiatrist to help manage and monitor their recovery and their mental health concerns. Nursing care is provided under the direction of a registered nurse 24 hours a day. All patients receive a history and physical, and medical follow-up is provided.

Individualized Drug Counseling
A modality that focuses directly on stopping the addict's drug use and continued abstinence. It also addresses related areas of impaired functioning such as employment status, illegal activity, family/social relations, as well as the content and structure of the patient's recovery program.

Motivational Interviewing
A client-centered counseling approach for initiating behavior change by helping clients to resolve ambivalence about engaging in treatment and stopping drug use. This approach employs strategies to evoke rapid and internally motivated change in the client, rather than guiding the client by utilizing a 12-step approach only. This therapy consists of an initial assessment battery session, followed by two to four individual treatment sessions with a therapist. The first treatment session focuses on providing feedback generated from the initial assessment battery to stimulate discussion regarding personal substance use and to elicit self-motivation statements. Motivational interviewing principles are used to strengthen motivation and build a plan for change. Coping strategies for high-risk situations are suggested and discussed with the client. In subsequent sessions, the therapist monitors change and reviews cessation strategies being used.

Relapse Prevention
A cognitive-behavioral therapy that was developed for the treatment of the problem drinking and adapted later for cocaine addicts. Cognitive-behavioral strategies are based on the theory that learning processes play a critical role in the development of maladaptive behavioral patterns. Individuals learn to identify and correct problematic behaviors and thinking. Relapse prevention encompasses several cognitive-behavioral strategies that facilitate abstinence as well as provide help to people who experience relapse.

The relapse prevention approach to the treatment of addiction consists of a collection of strategies intended to enhance self-control. Specific techniques include exploring the negative consequences of continued use, self-monitoring to recognize drug cravings early on and to identify high-risk situations for use, and developing strategies for coping with and avoiding high-risk situations and the desire to use. A central element of this therapy approach is anticipating the problems patients are likely to meet and helping them develop effective coping strategies.

The Journal Journey
Patients all receive a personal journal created by The Change Companies® that corresponds to actual group work. The journal and group work focus on:

• Defining the individual's life with the disease/addiction.
• An active intensive look at self-will versus acceptance that can potentially be a First Step.
• A focus on spirituality helps the patient look at how they may have lost track of their values and beliefs due to their addiction.
• The "feelings disease" looks at how individual have grown-up; how they have learned to express their feelings to get their needs met; and how dysfunctional behaviors may have resulted from those feelings.
• Relapse prevention and life management focus on how to continue and maintain sobriety with the pressure of returning to the world outside of the intensive inpatient treatment.

Managing Co-occurring Disorders
Is a strong component of our program. Treatment is based on the recognition that most individuals with chemical dependence issues have suffered with some type of mental health issue. Groups are offered with an integrated approach to the difficulties and complexities that these individuals face.

Expressive Therapy
Includes groups that develop activities that help people learn to engage in and cope with daily life. Activities include both expressive media and experiential modalities to support one's recovery and healing process. Activities include topics related to expressive social skills, health and wellness, functional living skills, assertive communication skills, self-empowerment, stress management, and healthy recreation/leisure skills. Groups are facilitated under the direction of a licensed and registered occupational therapist.

Financial Considerations

Different insurances offer different types of coverage for inpatient chemical dependency and/or co-occurring disorder treatment. Our Business Office will provide help in obtaining information related to your benefits. Medicare and TRICARE cover this program. Patients are responsible for any charges not covered by insurance. For more information, call Intermountain Hospital at (208) 377-8400.

Confidentiality

It is extremely important to us to protect your confidentiality and respect your wishes related to treatment. We follow all state and federal regulations and requirements regarding the confidentiality of personal health information and carefully screen all contacts and communications based on the patient's and their family's wishes.

Safety

Safety is of utmost importance to the administration and staff of Intermountain Hospital. If any issues arise that need our attention, please let us know. Contact the charge nurse on the unit, the director of Social Services/New Start at 350-2353, or the Chief Nursing Officer/Nursing Supervisor at 350-2396.

Unit Schedule

Click here to see a typical daily Unit Schedule for New Start.

Intermountain Hospital

Intermountain Hospital is a full-service, freestanding treatment facility that provides inpatient mental health and substance abuse recovery services. We are JCAHO accredited, TRICARE approved, and licensed by the State of Idaho. We enjoy membership in the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers.