Connecticut Valley Hospital Addiction Services Division – Middletown
Connecticut Valley Hospital’s Addiction Services Division operates the state-run Middletown inpatient campus in Merritt Hall. The program is part of the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and serves adults age 18 and older with moderate to severe alcohol or other drug dependence when outpatient care is inappropriate or unlikely to succeed. For someone who needs medical stabilization or a highly structured alcohol treatment setting, the Middletown campus provides both acute detoxification and inpatient rehabilitation rather than requiring separate providers for those two stages.
Medical Detoxification for Alcohol and Other Drugs
The current Middletown Detoxification Program has 20 beds and an average stay of approximately five days. Services include medical management of withdrawal symptoms, psychiatric, medical, and psychosocial assessment, treatment of acute medical or psychiatric problems, addiction education, and discharge planning. A person entering for alcohol withdrawal should accurately report recent drinking, previous withdrawal episodes, seizures, delirium, medications, medical conditions, and use of other substances. That information helps the clinical team manage alcohol withdrawal safely and determine what should follow stabilization.
Inpatient Rehabilitation Services
After detoxification, or when detox is not required, eligible clients may enter one of the campus’s three rehabilitation programs. Connecticut currently describes two 30-bed male units and one 30-bed female STAR program, with rehabilitation generally not extending beyond 45 days. Treatment includes psychiatric and medical care, individual counseling, group counseling, family therapy, and milieu therapy. Specialty services include grief and loss work, dialectical behavior therapy skills for substance users, parenting skills, recreation and fitness, occupational therapy, employment preparation, educational tutoring, and recovery meetings. These services give alcohol rehab clients opportunities to work on both addiction and practical barriers to sustained recovery.
Co-Occurring Needs and Continuing Recovery
The Middletown campus serves people with co-occurring psychiatric disorders and identifies trauma-sensitive, gender-specific care as part of the Addiction Services Division model. Special populations may include pregnant women, people living with HIV, and deaf or hearing-impaired clients. A person receiving alcohol treatment can therefore have psychiatric, medical, and recovery needs considered together. Comprehensive aftercare planning is built into treatment so clients can connect with community alcohol counseling, medication services, recovery supports, housing resources, medical care, or other services after discharge.
Admissions, Medicaid, Medicare, and Cost
The current admission and screening number is 800-828-3396. The Addiction Services Division is located at Merritt Hall on the Connecticut Valley Hospital campus in Middletown, CT 06457. All admissions are preceded by screening to determine the proper level of care. Connecticut Valley Hospital states that no one will be denied service because of inability to pay, that Medicaid and Medicare are accepted, and that a discounted sliding-fee schedule is available based on income and family size. People seeking inpatient alcohol treatment should call before arriving to confirm screening requirements, current bed availability, and whether detoxification or rehabilitation is the appropriate starting point.
