Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Nov. 11, 2024 – Longbranch Recovery and Wellness Center of Jonesboro is doing what it can to provide flexible and personalized treatments for veterans, active-duty service members and community members in need of support.
Longbranch is a comprehensive alcohol and drug treatment program offering a full continuum of care from medical detox to residential treatment, as well as programs including a partial hospitalization program (PHP) and an intensive outpatient program (IOP). It has been treating veterans and their communities since 2017, with locations in Abita Springs, LA, Metairie, LA, Covington, LA and the now Jonesboro.
Although the Jonesboro branch opened in March, Longbranch Recovery and Wellness Clinical Outreach Specialist Angela Quadrani said they were still in the process of hiring staff and setting up facilities. However, when Quadrani came on board a few months ago, she decided it was time to let the community know they completely open and, with the help of the Jonesboro Chamber of Commerce, they finally held their ribbon-cutting in August.
“We treat primarily mental health, we treat substance abuse, but the unique part about Longbranch is we that have an extended care program for veterans specifically, and that’s called N.O.R.A. (It stands for) no one recovers alone,” Quadrani said.
The N.O.R.A. House Program is their inpatient facility for male and female veterans located in Harrisburg that allows veterans to stay up to six months, if needed.
Longbranch Recovery and Wellness Center of Jonesboro Clinical Director Wanda Collins, who’d already been working locally with the National Guard as well as current and former military members before starting at Longbranch, spoke about the differences between the Longbranch office in Jonesboro and the N.O.R.A House.
“The guys at N.O.R.A. House come here during the day for programming,” she explained. “So, they have their group therapy here. They’re able to meet with their individual therapists here on any dual diagnoses that they have. We transport them to doctor’s appointments, if they need to meet with the VJO [Veterans Justice Outreach], the veterans’ representative, we take them to those appointments if they need to apply for benefits.”
She also noted that, not only is there a clinical treatment plan, there’s also what they call a purpose treatment plan, which outlines what a patient needs to do in order to discharge and go into a stable environment.
“For instance, someone may have on their purpose plan, ‘I want to work on my GED, … I’m going to need housing when I leave here, … I’m going to need a job…’ Our recovery coaches, who are at the home with them, work with them on their purpose plan to get those services in line before they discharge,” Collins said. “Our plan is, before they discharge from N.O.R.A. House, they know they are going to a safe and sober environment, whether that be going back to where they came from or if they choose to stay here in the Jonesboro area. They’ll find them the resources to be able to do that.”
She also noted that while the N.O.R.A. House was for military only, the Longbranch Recovery and Wellness Center’s IOP Office and its mental health intensive programing is open to everyone.
“We want to serve the community because we identified Jonesboro as being a place of need,” she said, explaining that due to a lack of providers, people are going out of state or out of area to get the care they need. “So, we brought health care locally.”
The mental health program, held during the day, has nine hours of group therapy. This breaks down to three hours a day, three days a week, and then an hour-long individual therapy session with their therapist three days a week.
Collins added that their substance abuse disorder IOP meets three nights a week for five to eight weeks.
“We picked that time because people work and that just seems like there’s not that resource in the community,” she said. “I’m not aware of an IOP that runs in the late evening and we wanted to be able to help those people in that demographic so they don’t have to take off work middle of the day, but can be able to work and still come to treatment and get what they need, but it’s the same because they all have approved three nights a week, and then they’ll have their individual therapist as well.”
Collins added that they want to be a partner with the other treatment programs in the community.
“There are a lot of outpatient mental health treatment programs here in Jonesboro, and they’re good programs, but the difference would be ours is an intensive program. We really want to be a partner with the other agencies in the community and help, because there is a demographic that doesn’t need residential. They just need something a little more than meeting once a week,” Collins said.
Longbranch accepts most commercial insurance, however people can call 24 hours a day for a no cost assessment. As a community care provider, it accepts Optum for veterans and Tricare for active military.
“It’s also, in my experience, an honor and a privilege to work with or serve those who’ve served our country and to be a trusted care in the community provider for veterans,” Quadrani said. “I think that was very much needed.”
For more information about Longbranch Recovery and Wellness Center, visit their website; contact Quadrani at 504-635-3535 or Collins at 870-261-9770; or visit them at their Jonesboro location at 335 W. Parker Rd.