Are you looking for a treatment center for your son or daughter because he or she is addicted to drugs or alcohol? During the search process, you've probably realized that you have a lot of questions. The question we have for you is: Are you asking treatment centers the correct questions?

When you call treatment centers, it's crucial you have your questions ready to go. Being prepared ensures your son or daughter receives the proper help as quickly as possible.

1. What kind of care do you offer?
We can also add the following question to this segment, "Could you please describe your treatment programs?" Both help you immediately get to the heart of your problem: finding the best program for your loved one.

Most treatment centers offer several levels of care, which include inpatient, partial hospitalization, outpatient, residential, intensive outpatient and detox. Each one is a little different, and we welcome you to visit Fairwinds Treatment Center's "levels of care" page for more information.

After the center describes the type of care offered, you and the doctor can decide which level is best for your child. The center is likely to (or should) tell you they'll need to assess your child's condition prior to administering him or her into a program. And this is the correct answer! We're comfortable saying it's impossible to place someone into a program without meeting with him or her first.

2. How often does the patient see his or her doctor?
Before you discuss finances, you should discuss some of the intricacies of the program such as how often your loved one will be visiting the center for treatments. This all depends on the type of program he or she is administered into.

For example, if your loved one is part of inpatient care, he or she will be at the center full-time. The number of actual meetings with a doctor will depend on the custom program the center, such as Fairwinds Treatment Center, establishes for them. 

On the other hand, a partial hospitalization allows patients to stay at home, but they must commit to being at the facility from 9 a.m – 5 p.m everyday.

The time frame solely depends on the program your loved one is administered into and the type of hours and program setup by you, the patient and the center. 

3. Could we discuss payment options and financial criteria?
Your question is likely to be more specific, but it's crucial that you discuss the program's costs and payment plans, if applicable, and insurance requirements and procedures. If you can't afford the program, you want to know this upfront. This will save you time, which is just as important as any treatment program.

If you know someone who is dealing with addiction, call Fairwinds Treatment Center. Dr. M.K. (Khal) El-Yousef specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of addiction by using a Dual Diagnosis approach.