Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Training Sites

Located in the Texas Medical Center, MEDVAMC is one of the largest facilities in the VA Medical Center system. A state-of-the-art facility on a 118-acre campus, MEDVAMC has 359 acute-care beds, a 40-bed Spinal Cord Injury Center, and a 141-bed Community Living Center for long-term care. There is also a 40-bed domiciliary residence for homeless veterans. In fiscal year 2008, MEDVAMC served more than 130,000 veterans in the southeast Texas region. Medical, psychiatric and emergency staff are available 24-hours a day, and there are readily accessible general and psychiatric emergency room services. Of note, research conducted at MEDVAMC is supported with more than $26.8 million annually, and currently there are over 640 active research projects taking place.

The MEDVAMC substance abuse program offers a full continuum of care to include inpatient and outpatient detoxification, partial hospitalization, low intensity treatment, a methadone/buprenorphine program, case management, social support services, vocational counseling, and medical and psychiatric care.

Located less than seven miles away from the primary training site, the Menninger Clinic is an established leader in psychiatric clinical care, education, and research. A 126-bed facility, the Menninger Clinic provides comprehensive psychiatric assessment and long-term inpatient psychiatric care for a wide range of issues including drug/alcohol addiction, psychiatric illness and co-occurring disorders, disruptive behavior in the workplace, career stress and burnout, and eating disorders.

Treatment modalities utilized at the Menninger Clinic include milieu therapy, pharmacotherapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy (individual & group), mentalization-based therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, motivational enhancement therapy, psychosocial rehabilitation, family therapy, 12- step self-help models, relapse prevention, addiction counseling, nutritional counseling, spiritual counseling, recreational therapy, and psychoeducation. Core faculty for the rotation will consist of four addiction psychiatrists. Additional program-specific faculty (psychiatry, psychology, social work, and other disciplines) will participate throughout the course of the rotation.

Harris Health System is a fully integrated healthcare system that cares for all residents of Harris County, Texas.  The system, which has a special focus on treating the underserved or indigent population, includes 18 community health centers, same-day clinics, mobile health units, and two full-service hospitals (Ben Taub Hospital and Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital).  Ben Taub Hospital is a world renowned Level 1 trauma center with 444 licensed acute-care beds and a wide range of specialty outpatient services. Ben Taub Hospital houses a large Emergency Department, which also includes a dedicated Psychiatric Emergency Department. Within immediate walking- distance of Ben Taub Hospital is the Neuropsychiatric Center (NPC), which includes inpatient psychiatric services as well as specialized outpatient psychiatry clinics.

The Montrose Center, a nonprofit organization, empowers the LBGTQ community and their families to live healthier, more fulfilling lives. The program consists of state-licensed clinicians, masters-level therapists, skilled educators, support staff, and dedicated volunteers.  Because LGBTQ persons face numerous health disparities compared to the general population, the Center has embraced an integrated care model with one-stop access to behavioral health and support services, adult primary care and psychiatry. Recovery programs for addictions include an Intensive Outpatient Program as well as a Supportive Outpatient Program.

Santa Maria Hostel aims to empower women and their families to lead healthy, successful, productive, and self-fulfilling lives. It provides services for low-income, indigent women age 18 and above and their children from Harris and surrounding 12 counties. Women in the program face many challenges including trauma history, criminal justice and CPS involvement, homelessness or housing instability. 6,274 women and children received services last year alone, and 90 percent of women and their children in their transitional housing program find permanent housing. Also 64 percent of women in transitional housing program find employment.  Substance use recovery programs include but is not limited to residential detoxification and outpatient services.