Drug & Alcohol Addiction

Substance abuse remains one of the most challenging problems of our times, wreaking emotional and economic havoc on patients and their families, and costing our nation more than $1 trillion dollars each year in lost productivity, health care costs and other effects on our national economy.

Drug and alcohol abuse is a major factor in poverty, violent crime, academic underachievement, soaring health care costs, family breakup, child abuse, homelessness, teen pregnancy, work problems, and AIDS.

At the same time, NuHealth’s substance abuse counselors and other professionals recognize that drug and alcohol abuse is a personal struggle against an implacable disease. Our goal is to help those suffering from drug and alcohol addiction find their way back to sobriety and better functioning, and develop ongoing strategies to avoid relapse.

Chemical Dependency Detoxification (DETOX) Unit
The Detox Unit at Nassau University Medical Center helps people safely withdraw from alcohol, opiates and other addictive drugs in a controlled medical environment. Both the Detox and Chemical Dependency Rehabilitation Units are closed units on the hospital’s recently renovated 10th floor. There, our multidisciplinary team of physicians, psychologists, chemical dependency counselors, social workers, nurses, nutritionists and clergy provides not only help, but also hope for those affected by chemical dependency. Along with medically-managed detoxification, patients are educated about addiction, with particular stress on detoxification as only the first step in treatment. On average, patients complete detox in five days, but all treatment plans are tailored to best facilitate each individual’s own process of recovery.

Above all, the staff of NuHealth’s Chemical Dependency Detoxification Unit at Nassau University Medical Center strives to motivate patients to continue treatment and do all we can to see that our patients are placed in an appropriate inpatient or outpatient program as soon as they are ready for discharge.

To make an appointment or learn more about NuHealth’s Chemical Dependency Detox program, call (516) 572-6394.

Chemical Dependency Rehabilitation Unit
The 30-bed Chemical Dependency Rehabilitation Unit houses a 28-day hospital-based program designed to help substance abusers of all kinds achieve sobriety and learn to stay that way. Our multidisciplinary staff works closely with every patient, helping each to understand the impact of drug and alcohol abuse and the personal psychosocial factors that lead them to seek their drug of choice. Services include:

  • Addiction Counseling and Education
  • Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluations
  • Family Education and Support
  • Individual and Group Therapy
  • Nutritional Counseling
  • On-Site 12-Step Fellowship Meetings
  • Recovery Support Groups
  • Recreation Therapy
  • Relapse Prevention Skills
  • Special Interest Workshops in such areas as:
    • Anger Management
    • Men’s and Women’s Health Issues
    • Self-Esteem
    • Spirituality

Our psychiatrists, nurses, licensed social workers, credentialed addiction counselors and other professionals also provide full medical evaluations and arrange consultations with specialists as needed. Most important, the staff at NuHealth’s Chemical Dependency Rehabilitation Unit helps patients organize continuing treatment and obtain referrals for essential support services – because we know well that the journey to freedom from substance abuse is often long, difficult, and accomplished in fits and starts.

To learn more about admission to the Chemical Dependency Rehabilitation Unit, call (516) 572-9419.

For more information about Outpatient Substance Abuse Programs at Nassau University Medical Center and NuHealth Family Health Centers, call (516) 572-9402.