In Portland, we hear the same complaints from people struggling with Substance Use Disorder:
- The services I need are not available
- The waitlists are full
While this may be true at many clinics in town, that is not true at Shanti Recovery and Wellness. We are accepting new patients and we take OHP. Our outpatient clinic is not an appropriate fit for every patient’s needs, but it is a good fit for some.
What’s more, our clinic offers telehealth options that can help bridge the gap between “I can’t” and “I can.”
At Shanti Recovery and Wellness: offering virtual addiction treatment and mental health care in Portland since 2020
At Shanti Recovery and Wellness, we’ve been offering virtual mental health and behavioral health services to our patients for years. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, our clinic primarily operated face-to-face. Since the pandemic, we pivoted to accommodate social distancing and found ourselves treating our patients primarily through virtual appointments. Now that the pandemic is long over, we have embraced telehealth as a powerful tool for recovery. Although we still require in-office appointments for all patients periodically, we can also offer virtual options to accommodate our patients’ busy lives.
The pros of virtual addiction treatment and telehealth mental health appointments outweigh the cons for many Portland area patients
Our patients report that they appreciate the option for telehealth services to treat addiction and mental health issues because virtual services ensure a very private treatment space. Although our office is tucked away in a stately craftsman in a quiet SE neighborhood, occasionally our patients are concerned about being “seen” coming and going from the building. Virtual appointments offer an additional layer of privacy.
Although our patients report some issues with virtual appointments, like technical difficulties or a personal preference for face-to-face interactions, the evidence shows that telehealth appointments are actually associated with improved outcomes for many patients.
A recent Veteran’s Heath Administration study shows that telehealth appointments reduce suicidality in veterans
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, between March 2019 and December 2020, the Veteran’s Administration conducted a study of 16,000 veterans who receive mental health care through the VA. The study looked at telehealth appointments and their association – if any – with suicide-related incidents experienced by dual diagnosis patients. Each participant had received at least two mental health diagnoses. The study found a significant correlation between increased telehealth usage and reduced suicide risk. Specifically, the study showed that a 1% rise in telehealth participation correlated with a 2.5% drop in suicide-related incidents among veterans.
A recent study done in Portland, Oregon found that opioid treatment services delivered virtually reduces stigma for patients receiving care
Another encouraging (and local) study completed by the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) found that telehealth behavioral healthcare services reduce feelings of shame and stigma that too many addiction treatment patients experience when considering seeking help. This is totally unsurprising, because virtual care is discrete and can be delivered in an already family, comfortable, and totally private setting.
At Shanti Recovery and Wellness, our patient-centered approach is grounded in non-judgemental, collaborative problem solving. Our patients work with us to create a treatment plan that works for them, centered around their lifestyle and recovery goals. It’s important to us that we do everything we can as a clinic to put old myths and stereotypes about the disease of addiction to rest so that our patients can focus on getting well and moving forward.
Our clinic’s experience with mental health services and telehealth care lines up with positive study results
At Shanti Recovery and Wellness, we see patients with full lives and very real responsibilities. Many of our patients work full-time, take care of elderly parents, or parent young children – and sometimes they’re responsible for all of these things at once! Making time for doctor’s appointments can be very tricky when you are juggling so many responsibilities. Telehealth helps bridge the gap between our patient’s busy lives and their access to mental health and behavioral health help.
Reducing barriers to care is about providing treatment that’s easier for our patients to incorporate into their existing routines.
When patients can actually access the care that they need – whether that’s virtually or in person – then outcomes always improve.
We’d love to “see” you in person or via telehealth at our addiction treatment clinic in Portland
Portland residents tend to gravitate towards our programs because we offer a warm, family-style environment with knowledgeable clinicians in a comfortable setting.
Our building is a converted craftsman that looks and feels more like a chiropractor’s office or a naturopathic family medicine clinic than it does an addiction treatment center. We tailor our patient-centered treatment plans around your preferences and goals, taking the whole patient into consideration, rather than treating addiction in isolation.
Plus, we’ve recently added TMS – Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation – and Ketamine therapy to our existing patient services. We’re also pleased to announce that we now offer psychiatric services for Pediatric and Adolescent patients, as well.
Interested to learn more about how we can help? Give us a call today to begin your journey to freedom from addiction!