Emergency Shelter
A forty-one bed overnight emergency shelter for males and females is available at the Portland facility. This service is designed to provide a safe place to sleep, nutritional meals and clean clothing for active substance abusers to help protect and maintain their lives while motivating them to seek substance abuse treatment. The shelter is available twenty-four hours a day for referrals from police departments, hospitals and social service agencies.
Besides providing a safety net for people living on the streets, Milestone shelter services provide an opportunity for the program to intervene in the lifestyles of the street alcoholic/drug abuser. No intervention can take place if the clients are not present to avail themselves of this opportunity. Readmission to the shelter on a daily basis, if necessary, will be allowed in order to give the program's trained clinical staff the opportunity to start the person on the road to recovery through admission to the detoxification program.
There are no limits on readmission to the shelter, though readmission could be denied a client due to past disruptive, violent or abusive behavior. The shelter will be open to active alcoholics and drug abusers for self-referral from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM seven days a week. During inclement weather the shelter hours may be extended.
Extended Care Program
(Therapeutic Community)
The Extended Care Program is a long-term residential treatment program in Old Orchard Beach designed to meet the special needs of the late and final stage alcohol/drug abuser. It is an alternative to traditional treatment modalities and is built on the Therapeutic Community model.
The long-term care program that Milestone offers in Old Orchard Beach provides up to a year in a twenty-bed supportive residential treatment program while the client's body and mind recover from the effects of chronic substance abuse. Individual and group counseling and attendance in self-help programs are a daily part of the program. Training and educational opportunities in life skills class are taught weekly in the program with a goal of the eventual transition to permanent housing in their county of origin or in the Old Orchard Beach area.
Milestone has contracts with aftercare treatment agencies across the state in order to provide a smooth transition for the client back into society. However, some of the clients are clearly not ready to make the transition, even after more than a year in residential care. These clients are encouraged to enter Milestone transitional facility, located on the grounds of its Extended Care Program.
The Therapeutic Community model, based on peer and staff support, is used to motivate and advance the recovery progress. Self-government is an important part of the program that allows the clients input into the admission of new clients, recreational activities, communication with the staff and maintenance of the house and grounds.
Detoxification Facility
A medically managed detoxification program under the direction of a physician is offered to both male and female alcoholics and drug abusers, regardless of ability to pay. The program follows the American Society of Addiction Medicine's "Patient Placement Criteria" for the admission, continuing stay and discharge criteria.
The program is staffed by nurses twenty-four hours a day with counselors and therapists available for intervention, case management, individual and group counseling, family counseling and referral management. Lengths of stay will vary according to the needs of the client and the time it takes for the successful completion of the detoxification process. Detoxification is available for withdrawal from alcohol as well as other drugs.
Medical management allows for the detoxification of the dually diagnosed (co-occurring substance abuse and mental health problems) clients who need psychotropic medications to stabilize their mental problems.
Services of the detoxification program include: biomedical assessment and physical examination; medical and nutritional plan; psychosocial assessment; clinical treatment plan; individual and group sessions; and aftercare planning and referral.
Outpatient Services
On a limited basis in the Old Orchard Beach area, Milestone offers outpatient counseling to graduates of its program. This long-term counseling support is combined with discharge plans and participation in self-help groups to help support an individuals long-term sobriety. Services are offered on a sliding-fee scale to insure that all who want the additional support can participate.
Permanent Housing
Milestone has a unique opportunity of offering several types of settings for its clients in Old Orchard Beach depending on their needs and experiences. Carriage House 1 has six single bedrooms with a common kitchen and large living room. Clients who need a group home environment (at least initially) to maintain sobriety will find these arrangements most comfortable and familiar. For those coming from Milestones Extended Care Program, this will be the first opportunity in over a year for the client to have their own separate bedroom another step in the road to recovery.
For clients who do not need the group home atmosphere of a Single Room Occupancy (SRO), Carriage House 2 has a two-bedroom apartment and two single bedroom apartments. These arrangements will allow an option for new clients as well as a progressive step for SRO clients who want to become more independent and leave the group home atmosphere of the main building.
Since the permanent housing building is adjacent to Milestone Extended Care Program, there is support available from the Milestone staff and therapeutic community clients 24 hours per day. It is also hoped that the residents in permanent housing will volunteer their time at Milestone working with the clients in extended care. This giving back can be therapeutic and beneficial for recovering substance abusers and is part of the basis of the 12 step self-help programs.
This facility is in the heart of Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Within walking distance are two banks, the town library (with computers), grocery store, pharmacy, town hall, the ocean and beaches. Transportation for the residents, if they don't own a vehicle, is available by taxicab or bus.
Programs and Services
