I forgot to write a review of this place but even though it’s been quite awhile now I would like to give some compliments (and suggestions) to the team!
The group material (both in the mental health and SUD programs) was incredible. The clinical team at RVC is truly amazing and I appreciate all that they do.
It has its fair share of problems like any treatment center but this place helped me save my life. Twice. And even though most people don’t really like to be in inpatient treatment, I will fondly remember this place forever.
I was finally placed on psych meds that actually work for me, after almost 10 years of searching on and off for the right psych meds. I am grateful to the nurse practitioner in Oasis and my clinician who listened to me and gave me a diagnosis I had been seeking for years.
I am grateful to the room accommodations that were made for me as a trans person and as a disabled person.
Mel and Raynita in Foundations made a huge impact on me and my recovery. I think of them all the time. Most of the BHTs I interacted with were lovely, although some weren’t.
The main suggestion I have is intensive LGBTQ+ specific training for the employees, specifically for transgender patients. I was misgendered a lot, and I was placed in the women’s side of detox even though I had been there before as a patient and the fact that I was a trans man was undeniably in my chart and something I had discussed with the team many times before. The other patients (even the ones who seemed to have never even met a trans person before) sometimes were more respectful and affirming to me than the staff at this place due to my transness. I had to explain what a trans man even was to one of your staff members. Med management treated me as if I didn’t know how to do my own HRT injections a couple of times and one of the nurses was gearing up to give me a lethal dose of testosterone before I pointed out to him that 3ml syringes were different from 1ml syringes which seems absolutely ridiculous to have to explain to a nurse. Like, can I just do my own shot under supervision? Med management in general was sort of disorganized and I went through intense withdrawal from one of my psych meds I was supposed to be getting and I didn’t get the issue resolved until days later. All because of a computer error that was easily fixable.
One of the other nurse practitioners who I will not name out of respect for her had said something about me that was concerning. She said that she “must have upset me because she misgendered me” but I had no idea what conversation she was even referring to. I was upset because I was treated as if I didn’t know what was best for my own treatment. I understand the providers determine level of care. I work in a treatment center and I was a clinician previously. But until my clinician advocated for me (and agreed with me when I explained why I needed SUD treatment over MH treatment at the time), I was treated like I couldn’t possibly know what was best for me and my own treatment. SUD was what I came there for. I relapsed on substances and critically needed SUD treatment.
Overall, what I suggest is involving patients in their own treatment more if they are stabilized enough to make those decisions. Providers, please listen to clinicians’ suggestions, in a timely manner, if they disagree with your decisions. I was told I was too dysregulated to make my own treatment decisions (who isn’t at least a little bit dysregulated when they’re detoxing?!) but I can promise that I was never hostile or aggressive with the providers. I know what working in a place like that is like, and I would not be aggressive to the people trying to help me, even if they’re frustrating me, and even if I’m in substance withdrawal.
I don’t have any hard feelings. I understand the decision making process. But please, listen closely to your patients’ needs, and please educate your staff on trans patients and trans healthcare. Thanks for reading if you made it this far!
