BACKGROUND:
The Adult Services Clinic is considered by others in the field
as one of the best methadone maintenance programs in the nation.
This recognition is validated by the patients' satisfaction
surveys that the clinic conducts every year as part of our continuous
quality improvement efforts. Cognizant of the many regulatory
controls that methadone treatment imposes on our patients' life,
we strive to provide a humanistic environment in which the dignity
of the patient becomes central to our delivery of services.
The clinic originated in 1972 in the wake of the heroin epidemic
of the 1960's. From its inception the program has been a source
of hope and a treatment choice for those opiate addicted individuals
who could not control their addiction through drug-free treatment.
Our patients come from all walks of life: many are gainfully
employed; others are engaged in vocational or academic efforts;
some are homemakers; and, others are suffering from chronic
debilitating illnesses.
TREATMENT SERVICES:
Our treatment services are comprehensive and individualized,
consisting of:
• Administration of appropriate dosages of methadone or
buprenorphine
• Medical services
• Vocational/educational services
• HIV counseling, testing and treatment
• Annual physical assessments
• Psychiatric treatment
• Health education
• Nutrition screening
• Pain assessment
• Individual, group and family therapy
• Gynecological care evaluations in collaboration with
the hospital's Gyn clinic
• Relapse prevention
• Concrete services, such as assistance with obtaining
Medicaid, housing and public social service entitlements
• Referral to the hospital's specialty clinics
• In-patients services when needed in collaboration with
the Hospital's in-patient department
Brochures on the Clinic's services are available upon request.
STAFF COMPOSITION:
We have a multi-ethnic and multicultural, bilingual staff composed
of internists, psychiatrists, social workers, nurses and counselors.
Our staff is gender-sensitive and respectful of patients' sexual
orientation or preferences.
ACADEMIC MISSION:
The clinic provides hands-on education on addiction medicine
for the following disciplines: medical students and residents,
psychiatric fellows, social work interns and foreign medical
students. In addition, the clinic serves as a research setting
for scholars seeking to improve the field's knowledge about
the etiology and impact of substance abuse on individuals and
communities.
TREATMENT EXPANSION:
On September 2001 the clinic expanded its services in response
to the need for moving on to a higher level of care those patients
who are psychosocially rehabilitated. A physician/pharmacy-based
unit was created, under the sponsorship of the New York State
Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, U. S. Center
for Substance Abuse Treatment and the Department of Public Health
of the Cornell Medical College. Patients who are fully rehabilitated
and meet a specific treatment criterion are transferred to the
new unit where they see a physician once a month and pick up
their medication at a community pharmacy.
Recent participation in the Weill Medical College/NYPresbyterian
Hospital Health Fair at the
Greenberg Pavilion offered an opportunity to further educate
the medical community on the Clinic's services.
The clinic sponsors an annual art show featuring paintings,
drawings, photography and poetry contributed by staff and patients.
Click here for previous
shows' submissions.
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF:
Ann B. Beeder, MD.............................Medical Director
Eugenia Curet, PhD, MSW.........Administrative Director
Hector Rodriguez, LCSW.........Social Work Supervisor
Cecilia Schamisso, RN........................Supervising Nurse
CLINIC HOURS:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 7:00 am to 3:00 pm
Thursday 7:00 am to 11:00 am
Friday 7:00 am to 11:00 am
Closed Saturday and Sunday
PAYMENT FOR SERVICES:
We accept union insurance with prior approval, Medicaid, Medicare
and self-pay. Individual medical insurance can be processed
for reimbursement of self-paid fees to the patient.
FOR REFERAL AND INFORMATION:
Telephone: (212) 746-1252 ~ (212) 746-1255
Fax: (212) 746-7951
E-mail: euc2004@med.Cornell.edu
