Standards For Validated Facilities
RecoverMix’s goal is to provide patients with confidence in choosing the right drug, alcohol, or detox facilities that meets security and safety standards. Our Validated facilities are background checked and inspected thoroughly.
Before a facility is validated, the following is checked:
- Regular background and license checks on owners and staff members
- We check the facility is current on all their state and federal regulations and requirements
- The facility policy and procedures
- Staff schedules and rotations
Finding the right rehab facility is essential in a successful long-term recovery.
When beginning your search for the right drug and alcohol rehab facility you need to be aware that not all facilities are the same. Many facilities don't do adequate background checks on staff, which allows convicted felons or employees who have been fired by other facilities for misconduct to be hired. Also, staff with past drug usage may relapse while working at the facilities Since each state is different regarding laws governing rehab facilities, many states do not require addiction counselors to have a college degree. By law in California, an apprentice counselor can work with a patient up to five years as long as he or she is working toward state certification.
A case that shows the vulnerability of drug and alcohol rehab facilities is a man named Christopher Bathum, who held no license in drug counseling or a college degree. Bathum pleaded guilty to four federal felony counts in 2002 for mail and wire fraud for selling computers and exercise equipment that were never delivered to the consumer. Even with felonies on his record, he was able to start rehabs and take advantage of patients and families. He owned a chain of 20 facilities in Southern California and Colorado. Bathum acted as a mentor to his patients and focused on young women battling with addiction. The trust that he was given was outright abused; he preyed upon women by getting them high and then sexually assaulting them. Bathum was found guilty on 31 counts, including rape, sexual penetration by a foreign object, and forcible oral copulation. This is just one example of the abuse that can happen in a drug rehab facility.