Austin Recovery Becomes Learning Environment for Texas A&M Health Science Center Medical Students

The Austin-Based Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center Enters into Clinical Affiliation with the Health Science Center's Round Rock Campus

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Austin Recovery, the largest and most affordable non-profit drug and alcohol treatment center in Texas, has joined forces with the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) College of Medicine to provide clinical training for medical students in the field of chemical dependency treatment.

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As a clinical affiliate, Austin Recovery will serve to promote high-quality patient care and education, as well as personal and community health through education.

"Austin Recovery is uniquely capable of providing medical students with a comprehensive experience of residential treatment and detoxification of patients with substance use disorders and psychiatric comorbidities," said Dr. Craig Franke, Austin Recovery Medical Director and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science with the TAMHSC-College of Medicine. "Austin Recovery's staff represents an array of expertise and years of experience in the treatment of addictions."

Through this agreement, medical students from TAMHSC-College of Medicine's Round Rock campus will participate in rotations in Austin Recovery's 28-bed detox unit in northeast Austin. Clients in Austin Recovery's detox unit receive around-the-clock nursing care as well as medicine to safely and comfortably detoxify from alcohol and drug use. A significant number of Austin Recovery's clients (at least 2,400 annually) also present with co-occurring psychological disorders that require a complex treatment approach.

"Medical students need to appreciate the human toll of drug and alcohol abuse in our society," said Dr. Edward Sherwood, Vice Dean of the Round Rock campus for the TAMHSC-College of Medicine. "We are pleased to announce Austin Recovery will be providing an additional training site for our students in the recognition and treatment of chemical dependency."

As part of the affiliation, a number of treatment center clinical staff will become faculty instructors for the college with the aim of further advancing the treatment of substance use disorders by educating additional future physicians on the complexities of diagnosis and treatment.

"The TAMHSC-College of Medicine is innovative in the fact that education of medical students about substance use disorders is given priority," said Dr. Franke. "Unfortunately, most clinicians aren't properly trained to recognize and treat addictions. Austin Recovery and the TAMHSC seek to remedy this."

About Austin Recovery
Since 1967, Austin Recovery has provided effective and compassionate chemical dependency treatment at very affordable rates. Non-profit and CARF-accredited, their transformational treatment model brings about in-depth cognitive, behavioral and spiritual changes essential for overcoming addiction through counseling, evidence-based practices, experiential therapies, and 12 step work. Austin Recovery offers a number of programs including medical detox, separate men's and women's 30-day and 90+ day programs, and Family House, which provides a minimum of 90-days of residential drug and alcohol rehab to mothers of young children and women in their third trimester of pregnancy, allowing them to bring up to two children under the age of six with them into treatment. Austin Recovery also offers outpatient services, alumni support, family programs, aftercare and community education. For more information about Austin Recovery, please visit www.austinrecovery.org.

CONTACT: Ramona Cruz-Peters
Director of Marketing & Communications
Austin Recovery
512-697-8506
[email protected]

SOURCE Austin Recovery