Veterans Affairs Medical Center


Contact Details
  • Name:
    Veterans Affairs Medical Center
  • Address:
    135 East 38th Street
    Erie, PA - 16504
  • Phone:
    814-860-2038
  • Email:
  • Instagram:
  • Website:
Description

There are currently state and federally funded or sponsored drug and alcohol treatment centers in the state of Pennsylvania

Questions & Answers

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What kinds of care do they offer?

  • Mental health treatment

    Includes interventions such as therapy or psychotropic medication that treat a person's mental health problem or condition, reduce symptoms, and improve behavioral functioning and outcomes.

  • Substance use treatment

    Refers to a broad range of activities or services, including identification of the problem (and engaging the individual in treatment); brief interventions; assessment of substance abuse and related problems including histories of various types of abuse; diagnosis of the problem(s); and treatment planning, including counseling, medical services, psychiatric services, psychological services, social services and follow-up for persons with alcohol or other drug problems (Institute of Medicine, 1990).

  • Treatment for co-occurring substance use plus either serious mental health illness in adults/serious emotional disturbance in children

    Housing for individuals recovering from substance abuse that is designed to provide a drug and alcohol-free living environment and appropriate support services to facilitate movement to independent living. Such housing includes transitional living, sober houses, sober living, recovery houses, and 3/4 houses.


What types of treatment approaches do they offer?

  • Individual psychotherapy

    Focuses on a patient's current life and relationships within the family, social, and work environments through one-on-one conversations with a therapist. The goal is to identify and resolve problems with insight, as well as build on strengths.

  • Couples/family therapy

    Are two similar approaches that use discussions and problem-solving sessions facilitated by a therapist to help couples and family members improve their understanding of and the way they respond to one another. This type of therapy can resolve patterns of behavior that might lead to more severe mental illness. Family therapy can help educate about the nature of mental disorders and teach skills to better cope with the effects of having a family member with a mental illness, such as how to deal with feelings of anger or guilt.

  • Group therapy

    Involves groups of usually 4 to 12 people who have similar problems and who meet regularly with a therapist. The therapist uses the emotional interactions of the group's members to (1) help them get relief from distress and (2) possibly modify their behavior.

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy

    Involves recognizing unhelpful patterns of thinking and reacting, and then modifying or replacing these with more realistic or helpful ones. The therapy can be conducted with individuals, families, or groups, and clients are generally expected to be active participants in their own therapy.

  • Dialectical behavior therapy

    A cognitive behavioral treatment approach with two key characteristics: a behavioral, problem-solving focus blended with acceptance-based strategies, and an emphasis on dialectical processes. "Dialectical" refers to the issues involved in treating patients with multiple disorders and to the type of thought processes and behavioral styles used in the treatment strategies. DBT has five components: (1) capability enhancement (skills training); (2) motivational enhancement (individual behavioral treatment plans); (3) generalization (access to therapist outside clinical setting, homework, and inclusion of family in treatment); (4) structuring of the environment (programmatic emphasis on reinforcement of adaptive behaviors); and (5) capability and motivational enhancement of therapists (therapist team consultation group). DBT emphasizes balancing behavioral change, problem-solving, and emotional regulation with validation, mindfulness, and acceptance.

  • Integrated Mental and Substance Use Disorder treatment

    Provides combined treatment for mental illness and substance abuse from the same clinician or treatment team. Effective integrated treatment programs view recovery as a long-term, community-based process. The approach employs counseling designed especially for those with co-occurring disorders.

  • Telemedicine/telehealth therapy

    The ability for healthcare providers, working from a distance using telecommunications technology, to communicate with patients, diagnose conditions, provide treatment, and discuss healthcare issues with other providers to ensure quality healthcare services are provided. Other names used for this treatment approach are: e-medicine, e-therapy, e-psychiatry, and telepsychiatry.

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy

    Also known as ECT, uses low-voltage electrical stimulation of the brain to treat some forms of major depression, acute mania, and some forms of schizophrenia. This potentially life-saving technique is considered only when other therapies have failed, when a person is seriously medically ill and/or unable to take medication, or when a person is very likely to commit suicide. Substantial improvements in the equipment, dosing guidelines, and anesthesia have significantly reduced the side effects.


  • Smoking not permitted

    Smoking is not allowed.


What type of setting is this location?

  • Residential/24-hour residential

  • Outpatient

    Describes patients who receive treatment services without an overnight stay at a treatment facility or hospital.


Who is responsible for the operation of this facility?

  • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

    Facility operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, including general hospitals, and/or residential treatment programs, and/or?psychiatric out?patient clinics.

  • Federal Government


What types of payment or funding do they accept?

  • Federal military insurance (e.g., TRICARE)

  • U.S. Department of VA funds


Do they offer any emergency mental health services?

  • Crisis intervention team

    A self-initiated community partnership between local law enforcement, county health services, mental health advocates, and mental health consumers. It is designed to address the needs of mental health consumers who enter the judicial system during a crisis state.

  • Psychiatric emergency onsite services

    A self-initiated community partnership between local law enforcement, county health services, mental health advocates, and mental health consumers. It is designed to address the needs of mental health consumers who enter the judicial system during a crisis state.


What language services are offered?

  • Sign language services for the deaf and hard of hearing

    Service provided for persons who are deaf and hard of hearing.


What specific groups are treated here?

  • Veterans

    Facility has a program or group specifically tailored for Veterans.

  • Criminal justice (other than DUI/DWI)/Forensic clients

    Facility has a program or group specifically tailored for clients referred from the court/judicial system.

  • Clients who have experienced intimate partner violence, domestic violence

    Facility has a program or group specifically tailored for persons who have experienced intimate partner violence, domestic violence.

  • Persons with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

    Facility has a program or group specifically tailored for persons with post-traumatic stress disorder.


What types of recovery support services are offered here?

  • Mentoring/peer support

  • Housing services

    Are designed to assist individuals with finding and maintaining appropriate housing arrangements.


What specific pharmacotherapy treatments do they provide?

  • Nicotine replacement

    Administers nicotine to the body by means other than tobacco, without other harmful chemicals found in tobacco. Common forms of nicotine replacement therapy are nicotine patches, nicotine gum or lozenges, nasal spray and inhaler. The goal of nicotine replacement is to prevent cravings in a tobacco user, allowing the person to abstain from tobacco.

  • Non-nicotine smoking/tobacco cessation

    Are medications that do not contain nicotine but act on the brain to reduce a person's craving for tobacco. Some common medications are Bupropion (Zyban, Wellbutrin), and Nortriptyline (Pamelor). Medications are often prescribed in conjunction with behavioral counseling or support groups to provide the best chance for achieving long-term smoking abstinence. (http://www.mayoclinic.com)

  • Haloperidol

    Haloperidol is used to treat psychotic disorders and is also used to control motor tics and verbal tics in adults and children who have Tourette's disorder. Haloperidol is also used to treat severe behavioral problems such as explosive, aggressive behavior or hyperactivity in children who cannot be treated with psychotherapy or with other medications. Haloperidol is in a group of medications called conventional antipsychotics. It works by decreasing abnormal excitement in the brain.

  • Aripiprazole

  • Olanzapine

  • Quetiapine

  • Risperidone

  • Antipsychotics used in treatment of SMI

    A multi-disciplinary clinical team approach, helps those with serious mental illness live in the community by providing 24-hour intensive community services in the individual's natural setting.


What ancillary services are offered at this facility?

  • Psychosocial rehabilitation services

    Offered individually or in groups, provide therapeutic or intervention services such as daily and community-living skills, self-care and skills training (grooming, bodily care, feeding, social skills training, and basic language skills).

  • Suicide prevention services

    Include identifying risk factors; educating staff on identifying the signs of suicidal behavior and using methods to detect risk; and the assessment, intervention, and management of suicidal patients including treatment of an underlying mental or substance use disorder, and use of psychotropic medication, supportive services, and education. Hotlines help individuals to contact the nearest suicide prevention mental health provider.

  • Supported employment

    Services include assisting individuals with finding work; assessing individuals' skills, attitudes, behaviors, and interest relevant to work; providing vocational rehabilitation and/or other training; and providing work opportunities.


What types of screening and assessment methods are used here?

  • Screening for tobacco use

    Determines a client's use of tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, or smokeless tobacco. It is generally recommended that providers screen for tobacco use on a regular basis by asking clients, as they are seen, about their current and past use of tobacco products and their exposure to secondhand smoke or tobacco.


What kinds of education and counseling services are offered here?

  • Smoking/vaping/tobacco cessation counseling

    Includes interventions for persons who use tobacco and want help with stopping, including behavioral support or counseling in groups or individually.


What age groups are accepted here?

  • Young Adults

    Facility accepts young adults (13-25) for treatment.

  • Adults

    Facility accepts adults (26-64) for treatment.

  • Seniors

    Facility accepts seniors (65 or older) for treatment.


What type of facility is this?

  • Veterans Affairs Medical Center or other VA healthcare facility


Is vaping allowed at this facility?

  • Vaping not permitted


How do I apply for admission at this location?


Have you been to this facility? What was your experience?


Is there a wait-list for treatment center?


Is any payment required?


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