People United Behavioral Health

They provide outpatient, telemedicine and detox. Whichever one you start at the usual pattern is to step down through the levels rather than stop at once, and West Monroe is the closest place to carry that on if you move.

They provide detox for 5 substances: opioids, alcohol, benzodiazepines, cocaine and methamphetamines. Whether a bed is free this week is a question for the call, and Monroe has 8 other centers.

They take court referrals, which usually means they are used to the reporting side of it. Courts in Monroe send people to places set up for it rather than to any opening.

They treat mental health alongside the substance use, so both sides are handled in one place. Ask whether the psychiatric side is on site, because in Monroe that is the part that varies.

They are outpatient. If someone needs to be away from where they are using, West Monroe has the nearest beds, 2.2 miles away.

There is usually a plan for afterwards, covering appointments, medication and somewhere to go each week. Having something scheduled for the first week back is better than having good intentions for it. Ask how the medication prescription continues after discharge, and who writes it.

It depends which level of care you are asking about, because they run on different clocks. Two centers quoting the same number of days can mean very different hours of treatment inside them. Ask what the criteria for leaving are, because some programs have them written down.

In network and out of network are the two phrases that decide most of this. Network status changes without notice, so a center on last year's list is not necessarily on this year's. Have your member id with you when you call, because nothing can be checked without it.