WHO WE ARE
Akeela, Inc is one of Alaska’s oldest and most diverse Behavioral Health programs, incorporated in 1974. We provide outpatient and residential substance use treatment for community populations in Anchorage and a wide range of outpatient mental health services. Mental health services for adults and families are provided in Anchorage, including general mental health for adults and youth, emergency psychological services, and services for adults with severe/chronic mental illness.
FOCUS ON RECOVERY
Recovery is the goal of all Akeela clinical programs. Treatment begins during the assessment process. Staff makes every effort to match the client with the program that best serves his or her needs. For substance use clients, the assessment determines the level of treatment, and the clients are referred to the program that provides the services that are expected to most closely meet each client’s needs. A significant proportion of all of our clients experiences a co-occurring disorder. To really achieve recovery they must receive coordinated mental health and substance use services. We attempt to give individualized treatment focusing on the clients’ primary issue, but also providing supportive services for secondary issues. Working with the community, the State of Alaska, and other supportive services, Akeela offers a holistic approach to treatment designed to assist clients in returning to a productive, safe, and fulfilling life in their community of choice.
WHO IS SERVED
We serve clients from across Alaska with an emphasis on those living in the Southcentral and Southeast regions. In both of these areas, outpatient services are provided to community members but residential clients travel from all over the state, joining local clients receiving services. We serve men and women in co-ed settings in Anchorage, along with women and children in Anchorage. Our mission supports these clients, locations, and societal standards from where they come.
As a private nonprofit, we are supported through grants, contracts, Medicaid, private insurance, donations, and self-pay. Additionally, as a State grantee we provide care to the uninsured and indigent.
CONTINUUM OF CARE
Akeela prides itself on providing one of the stronger continuum of care programs in Alaska. In our Anchorage substance use programs, Akeela provides services across the spectrum to those individuals needing the lowest level of treatment through those requiring the most intense, residential treatment. Additionally, women are provided gender specific treatment and in our women’s programs, service is offered to the whole family. In recognition of the growing number of clients who experience co-occurring disorders now being served in our substance use programs, we offer mental health services in Anchorage. If our services do not adequately meet the needs of the clients we serve, we have established a broad range of agreements through which we are able to refer clients for additional services.
PROVIDING CARE
Akeela provides a broad spectrum of clinical and prevention programs and services throughout the State. Depending on the type of program, it is staffed with professionals in the Medical, Psychology/Counseling, Social Work, Case Manager, and/or Prevention/Education disciplines. All services and programs are under the leadership of experts in their respective fields of service. Accountability is maintained by a system in which members of the various disciplines report to their respective manager/director and/or physician for specific clinical supervision, education, training and evaluation.
Akeela’s Policies and Procedures Manual contains organization-wide policies that govern operations throughout the company. The complete manual is maintained through the CEO’s office and is hosted on the company intranet, so it is available quickly to all employees regardless of where their worksite is located. Individual departments/programs may also maintain a unit-specific manual that details operations within that unit.
AVAILABILITY
Service availability differs from site to site. Evaluations and assessments for admission to the mental health programs are provided during the regular work week. Clinicians provide the assessments and their work is overseen by a contract psychiatrist to direct the appropriate services.
Additionally, psychiatrists provide oversight for all mental health services. Outpatient mental health services for adults and families are provided in Anchorage. Substance use treatment is available in outpatient and residential programs in Anchorage.
ALL WELCOME
Akeela welcomes all who need service and are assessed as appropriate for the services we offer. While most of our programs are co-ed, we have specific women and family programs in Anchorage in which substance use treatment and mental health services are offered to families in need.
WHO COMES TO AKEELA
Akeela is a multi-service behavioral health program that specializes in substance use and mental health disorders. Our geographic hub is in Anchorage. For our non-residential outpatient mental and substance use programs, the clients are local to the area in which the services are offered. However, our residential substance users come to us from throughout the state.
ADMISSION
Admission criteria is based on the presenting and assessed needs of the individual. Substance use programs use the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) standards to determine appropriate client placement. In Anchorage, we offer gender specific programs for women in programs that run the gamut from the ASAM level I service to level II.1, and in Anchorage include III.3 residential services. We also provide co-ed programs for men and women in need of service ranging from ASAM level I to level III.5 residential programming. General mental health care is available, as well as trauma informed treatment that meets the needs of clients in our substance use programs. Services are also available to individuals from the general public who need our services. Mental health service admission is based on DSM V diagnostic criteria.
