FOR REFERRING PROFESSIONALS
What you need to know before you send someone our way.
This page is written for discharge planners, county case managers, probation and parole officers, therapists, physicians, and anyone else who places people into treatment. You are not the person we usually write for, and you need different information: what we take, what we do not, how fast we move, and what happens to your referral after you make it.
AT A GLANCE
The facts you are probably scanning for
- Levels of care: ASAM 3.5 clinically managed high-intensity residential, and ASAM 3.1 clinically managed low-intensity residential.
- Population: co-ed adults, 18 and over. Single site in Ridgecrest, Kern County.
- Licensing: California Department of Health Care Services, License #150080AP. Accredited by The Joint Commission.
- Funding accepted: Kern County Medi-Cal, Tricare, and most private PPO plans.
- Co-occurring conditions treated alongside substance use rather than referred out. Clients stabilized on psychiatric medication are accepted.
- Medication for opioid use disorder is not a barrier to admission. We accept clients on buprenorphine, methadone, or naltrexone and can coordinate prescribing.
- Certified peer support provided under our Kern County contract, including for clients awaiting admission and after discharge.
SO YOU DO NOT WASTE A CALL
What we cannot take
Stating limits plainly saves you time, so here they are rather than buried in a conversation after you have already made the call.
We do not provide acute medical detox or medically managed withdrawal onsite. Clients requiring withdrawal management, particularly for alcohol, benzodiazepines, or significant opioid dependence, need that addressed before admission. We will help identify and coordinate that placement and hold a bed so the handoff does not fail. If your client is currently in withdrawal, tell us at first contact rather than at intake.
We are not a hospital, a psychiatric inpatient facility, or an emergency service. Clients requiring acute psychiatric stabilization, active suicide risk management at an inpatient level, or ongoing medical care beyond what a residential setting can support are outside our scope. We would rather tell you that in the first five minutes than after a failed placement.
Adults only, 18 and over. We do not accept adolescents.
If your client falls outside what we can take, ask anyway. We would rather help you find the right placement than simply decline.
MAKING A REFERRAL
How the process runs
Call or email us
Reach admissions directly. Useful to have ready: substance and pattern of use, current withdrawal status, psychiatric history and current medications, insurance or funding source, and any legal or custody considerations.
Screening and benefits check
We screen for fit against ASAM criteria and verify coverage. If the client needs a different level of care, we will say so at this stage and, where we can, point you toward an appropriate placement.
Consent and records
A signed release is required before we can share information back with you. Getting that in place at the point of referral, rather than afterward, avoids the most common cause of communication breaking down.
Admission or coordinated handoff
If there is a wait, we will tell you how long rather than leaving it open. Certified peer support is available to your client during that wait, which is the period when placements most often fall apart.
A NOTE ON 42 CFR PART 2
Why we may not be able to confirm your own referral
You likely know this already, but it is the most common source of friction so it is worth stating. Substance use treatment records carry protections under 42 CFR Part 2 that exceed HIPAA. Without a valid release naming you or your agency, we generally cannot confirm that a client you referred is here, has been discharged, or attended at all.
This catches out referrers who are used to HIPAA-based coordination, where a treatment relationship alone permits a good deal of information exchange. Part 2 does not work that way, and consent given verbally at your office does not transfer to us.
The practical fix is simple. Have the client sign a release naming you before or at the point of referral, specifying what may be disclosed and for how long. If you send us a release with the referral, coordination is straightforward from the start.
WHO WE WORK WITH
Referral sources we regularly coordinate with
Hospital discharge planners and emergency departments
The window between a medical discharge and a treatment admission is where a large share of placements fail, and it is usually a logistics problem rather than a motivation one. Call us while the client is still with you rather than after. If withdrawal management is needed first, we can help coordinate that step and hold a bed for the far side of it.
County behavioral health and case managers
We hold a Kern County contract and provide certified peer support services under it. We accept Medi-Cal. If you are managing a caseload and need to know current availability and realistic timelines, call rather than emailing a form, and we will give you a straight answer about wait times.
Probation, parole, and the courts
We work with clients who have legal involvement. What we can report back is governed by the release your client signs and by any court order, and we will be explicit with everyone about what is and is not being shared rather than leaving it ambiguous. If a specific reporting requirement attaches to the placement, tell us up front so we can confirm whether we are able to meet it.
Therapists, counselors, and private practitioners
If you are referring a client for a level of care above what you can provide, we would rather coordinate with you than take over. With a release in place we can keep you informed and, where clinically appropriate, plan for the client to return to your care after discharge rather than starting again with someone new.
Physicians and prescribers
Particularly relevant where a client is prescribed benzodiazepines, opioids, or medication for opioid use disorder. We do not require anyone to discontinue MOUD to be admitted, and we can coordinate with the existing prescriber rather than disrupting an established relationship. Where a taper is indicated, that is planned with the prescriber rather than imposed.
Employers, EAPs, and DOT programs
We provide DOT Substance Abuse Professional services and work with employer assistance programs. What is disclosed back to an employer is defined by the specific process and by the client’s consent. Our DOT SAP page covers the return-to-duty process in detail.
WHAT WE ASK OF YOU
Tell us the difficult parts up front
Placements fail more often from incomplete information than from a poor match. If there is a psychiatric history, an unresolved medical issue, a prior discharge that went badly, a pending court date, or a complication you suspect will be a problem, tell us at the point of referral. We would far rather assess it honestly and say no, or plan around it, than admit someone and discover it in week one. Nothing you disclose will be held against your client.
Call admissions directly
We will tell you honestly whether we are the right placement, including when we are not.
