Veteran’s Day is a day where we reflect and are thankful to all of the men and women who have served the United States armed forces. It is because of these brave and selfless individuals that we are able to enjoy freedom. Horizon is committed to helping our Veterans. One example of this commitment is the opening of our new state of the art facility – Freedom Village. Find out more about this unique facility and the programs that are offered there.
To illustrate why Freedom Village is so important to our community, consider this true story…
Recently a 32-year old Veteran was searching for help at a hospital to assist in dealing with his strong addiction to opiates. After he was injured overseas, he became dependent on pain killers. He was released from the hospital with a cocktail of prescription medications on his own. Three hours later, he overdosed and died.
Unfortunately, this is just one of the thousands of instances where easy access to narcotics is an incredibly serious problem. At Horizon, we’ve identified that Veterans are a high risk group in that they often are dealing with co-occurring mental health and addictions that many areas in our country our facing.
Since 2008, the VA’s opiate prescription rate has been on a severe rise and Veteran’s continue to struggle from the painkillers they received through the VA when they went looking for help and treatment.
New VA regulations have been put in place which requires clinicians to follow an “integrated approach” to assisting veterans in pain. They are trying to look to treat more of the root causes of pain rather than just over-prescribing narcotics to reduce other symptoms.
What are we doing to help?
Here at Horizon, on Thursday, October 24th, we opened the doors to Freedom Village! Three male veteran residents (who started their treatment at Horizon Village) were beyond excited to move in and have a place of their own.
What is Freedom Village?
Freedom Village is an intensive residential chemical dependency program located on the Horizon Village campus in Sanborn, NY. Freedom Village is a trauma-informed care environment.
Programing includes educational/vocational services, family counseling, wellness programs, art therapy, along with specialty tracks for relapse prevention, coping skills, DBT skills, young adult-specific treatment, grief and loss, and anger management.
Our campus features a Wellness Center with a Gymnasium and workout room, along with primary care medical services, outpatient mental health counseling and psychiatry that the residents have access to.
The campus also has a therapy dog. Dakota came to us 2 months ago and she has made Horizon her home and residents have responded very well to her.
Who is eligible?
Residents of Freedom Village do not have to meet traditional VA criteria for veteran status to be eligible. Anyone with any military experience is eligible for Freedom Village as long as they have a significant drug abuse diagnosis and in many cases have struggled with outpatient and/or 28day inpatient programs. Each referral is individually screened to determine level of treatment need for TBI, up to and including coordination of care with external providers as needed. Most individuals will have their residential stay covered via Department of Socials Services, Public Assistance benefit. We also offer sliding scale fees based on income and resources.
How do I make a referral or get into Freedom Village?
To make a referral please contact Mindy Kuppel, Client Relations Coordinator, at (716) 731-2030. You may also contact the Horizon Health Services admissions team at (716) 831-1800.