We welcome your questions and encourage you to contact one of our intake advisors to get more information. Below are some of the most common questions about our program.
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No. Our Medical Director supervises a slow tapering narcotic detoxification that generally takes between 10 and 20 days. The first day or two may be the toughest but in addition to prescribed medications to control symptoms like nausea, we help our patients with naturopathic supplements, an anti-inflammatory detox diet, hydration, exercise and aquatics, as well as supportive counseling. The result is that the symptoms of detoxification are minimized and generally well-tolerated by our patients.
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We are a narcotic-free pain management clinic but not completely drug-free. Non-addictive medications such as anti-depressants, heart medications, high blood pressure medications or migraine medications are generally continued, if necessary. No medication is ever stopped without a thorough discussion and evaluation by our Medical Director. There are even times when we may suggest a trial of an anti-depressant.
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Acute pain is best treated with drugs, surgery, and rest. After 6 months, however, these treatments can create potentially dangerous side-effects like insomnia, chemical dependence, gastric problems, and muscle deconditioning. These symptoms are clearly "red flags" that a chronic pain syndrome has begun to develop. A full-blown syndrome may be stopped at this early stage with proper management. Unfortunately, treatment-as-usual often fails individuals for lack of a holistic interdisciplinary perspective.
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Pacifica's philosophy is to limit the use of narcotics to the shortest amount of time possible in the treatment of acute pain. We believe that narcotics are contra-indicated for chronic pain because of their dangerous side effects.
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If you have a severe injury or accident, a brief time-limited course of pain medication may be helpful, along with rest and medical supervision. While our program is narcotic-free, we understand accidents happen or occasional surgeries occur. The key for our patients is to attempt to inform us ahead of time for scheduled surgeries, or as soon as possible after an accident.
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While other pain management programs use opioids like Subutex or Suboxone for pain management, Pacifica considers these to be addictive medications and does not use them. In fact, our patients who have successfully detoxed from Suboxone often say that they are sorry they ever used this medication in the first place. Ultram (tramadol) is also a synthetic opioid with addictive potential. We detoxify our patients from this drug and do not prescribe it for pain management.
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You won't know, of course, until you see what your life is like without pain killers. While this is a fear-inspiring idea to most of our patients upon admission, our data shows that the vast majority of our patients experience lower pain levels after detox and that, by discharge, they are feeling healthier, thinking more clearly, and enjoying a better quality of life.
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Our After Care program begins immediately upon discharge from the residential portion of treatment. It is a year-long program that generally includes 22 visits. All of our follow-up clinics are held at our Cold Springs facility and occur every other Thursday. Our follow-up patients all come together for a day of groups and individual sessions. Groups include pain management, stress management, exercise training, mindfulness meditation, and an all-patient support group. Individual sessions are on an as-needed basis, as determined by our clinical staff.
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We write discharge letters to all our patients' treating physicians reminding them that our patients have gone through a non-narcotic pain management program and that narcotics are no longer recommended for pain management. In addition, we contract with insurance adjustors to inform us prior to authorizing any narcotic or benzodiazepine medication. As for our patients, we remind them that doctors sometimes offer narcotics for temporary relief but that our patients have the right to refuse these and to choose active coping skills instead.
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All potential patients come to our offices in St. Helena for an extensive evaluation process and interview prior to beginning treatment. This evaluation consists of paper-and-pencil tests and questionnaires, computer testing, and a sit-down interview with one of our psychologists. The whole process may take the better part of a day with breaks for fresh air or lunch. Afterwards, a detailed evaluation report with recommendations will be sent to the primary treating physician with copies to interested parties.
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While we are not a "return-to-work" or vocational rehab clinic, the trend has been for more of our patients to return to some form of productive functioning. This may take the form of school, volunteering, or employment.
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Yes, some of our patients stay with us beyond a year. Sometimes they are authorized by their insurance companies to do so. Other times, we allow them to come to participate in groups. We are developing a patient mentoring program which will allow our most experienced patients to mentor patients who are still in follow-up and who may need some extra support.
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We are sorry, but we do not accept Medicare or MediCal at this time.
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We do work with our patients who have private insurance to obtain pre-certification for the different phases of our treatment program. Private patients should be prepared to pay our fees in full on admission day. We will work with our patients as a courtesy to get the highest reimbursements possible but insurance companies are very astute at denying or reducing benefits.
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Pacifica has been in business for 27 years. We have a multidisciplinary team that does one thing: we treat Chronic Pain Syndrome. We do this in a peaceful, healthy environment that is a true residential setting. We do this without introducing new opioids for pain management. In fact, 100% of our patients who discharge successfully are narcotic and benzodiazepine free. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. Our patients learn how to manage pain with active coping skills. They learn how to change their thinking, how to self-regulate moods and reduce stress. They learn new dietary habits and new exercise habits. They create job resumes, become certified in CPR, deliver patient lectures, participate in culinary groups including shopping excursions, take on "jobs" around the house and property, practice meditation in our labyrinth, create masks in art therapy. the list goes on and on. And then they continue to see us for 1 full year of biweekly follow-up outpatient sessions. No other residential/outpatient functional restoration pain management clinic has this kind of depth or breadth of treatment.
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Visitors are allowed on Saturday afternoons and all day Sunday. The first two Saturdays have scheduled Family Support Education groups in which family members and friends are encouraged to participate. All our rooms also have telephone and Wi-Fi so our patients can stay connected to their loved ones.
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We encourage those families or individuals interested in our treatment program to take a free tour of our Cold Springs facility. It sits on 20 wooded acres in the hills above Napa Valley. Arrangements can be made through our main office at 800-964-1493.
