By Elizabeth Curran
New Vision at Holy Cross Health offers medical detoxification services to help people overcome withdrawal symptoms from drug and alcohol addictions. The New Vision service treats adults with a medically supervised hospital stay for inpatient stabilization, which usually lasts three to five days. Patients are able to detox from a substance in a safe, medically supervised environment.
The service provides treatment for substances including opioids (including heroin and fentanyl); alcohol; benzodiazepines (like Valium, Xanax); methamphetamine; cocaine; and prescription medications and combined substances. New Vision at Holy Cross Health treats the physical signs and symptoms associated with withdrawal from opioids, alcohol and other substances. It is a medical service, so there is no behavioral component, or counseling or therapy. The goal of the service is to medically manage the patient through the acute withdrawal phase so they will be more successful when starting a substance abuse treatment program.
“We know that excessive alcohol consumption can damage the liver, pancreas, heart and increase the risk of several types of cancer,” said
Mark Doyle – Holy Cross Health President and CEO
. “Likewise illicit drugs can cause or worsen multiple health problems. Holy Cross Health has partnered with New Vision to help improve the overall health and well-being of our community by helping patients take the first steps to recovery.”
New Vision at Holy Cross Health is led by Amanda Nutting, whose previous experience in the field of substance use disorder includes Assistant Program Director of the Empowerment Center, a residential intensive outpatient treatment program for women in Northern Nevada and Clinical Support Specialist with the Everglades Re-Entry Center for the Florida Department of Corrections.
“New Vision at Holy Cross Health provides support for people who are seeking to break the cycle of addiction, after they have identified that they have a problem with substance use,” says Nutting. “New Vision offers a safe, compassionate, and confidential environment during the most physically difficult aspect of recovery.”
New Vision offers scheduled medication tapers, according to evidence-based practice, published by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). Additionally, New Vision offers various medications to accommodate breakthrough withdrawal symptoms, promoting comfort and preserving dignity. New Vision staff work with each patient during their hospital stay to coordinate a personalized discharge plan for continuing care with treatment providers in the community, to best suit their needs for ongoing recovery.
“We’re able to support patients by alleviating the most intense symptoms of withdrawal that often present as an obstacle to treatment once a person has made the decision to seek help in an addiction treatment setting,” Nutting elaborated. “There is no additional treatment or therapy provided during the hospital stay beyond the detoxification process. New Vision patients are encouraged to concentrate on their own physical well-being in order to be well enough to begin treatment/therapy immediately after they are stabilized.”
Patients seeking treatment with New Vision at Holy Cross Health do not need a referral from a doctor in order to be admitted. Each patient is assessed to ensure that they meet the medical criteria required for inpatient detoxification.
Nutting adds, “New Vision patients are on a regular hospital floor and can have visitors during visiting hours like any other patient; they aren’t in a locked ward or otherwise treated differently. Once the patient has been admitted to Holy Cross Health, we all work collaboratively, New Vision staff, nursing, case management, and other support staff members, to address the patient’s physical symptoms, and as a team, we work to alleviate those symptoms with the use of medications. Medication is individualized based on the type of withdrawal a person is experiencing and their medical history.”
For more information about New Vision at Holy Cross Health, please call us Monday through Friday at (954) 542-2890 or visit us online at www.holy-cross.com/newvision.
Elizabeth Curran is Marketing Manager, SpecialCare Hospital Management.
