Pictured Mitch Edmonson.
VALEO, located at Chicago Lakeshore Hospital, provides comprehensive psychiatric and substance abuse treatment for LGBTs. The obvious advantage of having such a facility, which opened in August 2004, is that the gay community has a space where it knows the staff will be knowledgeable and sensitive to its needs. Windy City Times recently talked separately with VALEO's marketing representative Mitch Edmondson as well as Executive Director Joe Camper.
Windy City Times: Tell me about the history of VALEO.
Mitch Edmondson: PRIDE, a national organization, operated out of this hospital until July of [ 2004 ] . Since we've had Pride in this hospital for such a long time, we decided to start our own program.
We obviously had to rename it for legal reasons. The name VALEO was chosen because we wanted something unique. The word 'valeo' is Latin for strength and wellness. We made some changes to the program; for example, we added more programming time because we felt there was too much down time for the clients when they were here.
WCT: So VALEO is a separate part of Chicago Lakeshore Hospital ...
ME: It is a separate part but it's on a floor where [ clients ] come into contact with people who are not gay. It's its own wing of the hospital. If a gay individual comes into the hospital but doesn't want to be in the VALEO program, he doesn't have to be. It's only if he or she wants to be in a program that's geared specifically to gay individuals.
WCT: What would the other options be?
ME: If they come into the hospital and the issue is strictly substance abuse, then they would go into the general adult unit. There's also a dual diagnosis unit for substance abuse problems and a psych diagnosis ( such as depression ) . However, most gay individuals prefer to deal with a unit that's geared toward their sexuality.
WCT: How is a diagnosis made?
ME: Ultimately it's up to the psychiatrist to make the diagnosis but I make a provisional diagnosis when I do my assessment. My training and level of education allow me to say that a person has a particular issue going on.
Let's say a person comes in and says that he's thinking about killing himself but he's been taking crystal meth. I might ask if he'd been suicidal prior to taking crystal meth and he might say no. Well, his primary issue will likely be substance abuse but it's tied to depression and it's hard to separate the two at this point. If you can stabilize him medically and he's not taking the drug anymore, the depression [ component ] will take care of itself over time.
WCT: Could you talk about the three treatment programs that VALEO provides ( inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, and adolescent services ) ?
ME: Sure. People involved with inpatient treatment typically stay one to two weeks, depending on insurance. If they have really good insurance, they may stay up to a month. Also, inpatient clients are typically admitted if they're threats to themselves or to other people; if they're incapable of taking care of themselves; or if there's a medical component to the necessity of inpatient treatment [ e.g., withdrawal ] . However, what we usually see with insurance companies is that they recommend outpatient services first—so they go with the least intrusive thing initially. [ Inpatient services encompass topics ranging from substance abuse to sexual addiction. ]
Outpatient clients stay typically from two weeks to a month. [ Outpatient services include medication management, group therapy, and 12-step programs. ] This person is usually able to function on the outside; they just might need the support associated with an outpatient stay. It's three hours a day, five days a week—that's why it's called intensive outpatient services.
Regarding adolescent services, we don't specifically have a program that is gay- or lesbian-oriented. However, if sexuality is a pertinent issue with them and they present that as an issue, we would definitely address that with them. We might do it on an individual or group basis. Adolescent services can involve inpatient or intensive outpatient treatment. [ This program also deals with gender-identity issues. ]
WCT: So VALEO requires insurance?
ME: Yes. Otherwise, it becomes private-pay and most people are not agreeable to paying $6,000 a week.
WCT: Where can the uninsured go?
ME: There are definitely places. They're not glamorous, but if it's a matter of getting clean and sober ( and staying that way ) there are places. Haymarket Center is one such place. If it were me and I realized I had a meth problem that required two weeks of inpatient therapy at $15,000, I'd figure out how to raise the money and know at the end that I'll be clean and sober instead of continuing down a path where I could be dead a year from now. People come up with what is necessary if it's a matter of life and death.
WCT: Crystal meth use is a hot-button topic nowadays. How much of an increase have you seen in meth addicts since VALEO's inception?
Joe Camper: Actually, we didn't have very many meth cases in our first three months. After the first of the year, however, we saw a significant increase in the number of crystal meth addicts—particularly after the Mike Jackson incident. Prior to last quarter, I would say that meth addicts made up 10 to 20 percent of our [ clientele ] . After the first of the year, that number increased to 50 percent.
ME: It's scary. Joe and I went to Milwaukee [ recently ] to meet up with that city's gay and lesbian community center—and they were completely oblivious to this problem. They're not seeing it up there yet. I didn't want to sound like an alarmist, but I said that they would probably have to deal with this issue soon. They felt that the discussion about meth was very valuable. They learned that it's important to ask the right questions; if they're naive, they might be like we were a year ago. To be honest with you, I don't know if we would see the level of identification of the problem if the Mike Jackson [ arrest ] hadn't happened. [ Note: As of the article's submission, Jackson—who has been charged with the Feb. 4 murder of taxi driver Haroon Paryani—had not been officially connected with any drug use on that night. ]
WCT: What's VALEO's success rate?
JC: Overall, there's a high probability that people will have very different lives after leaving VALEO. Overall, the success rate is pretty high. However, regarding crystal meth, it's still too early to tell. Patients have had limited 'clean time' ( when clients are off drugs ) . I believe, though, that with treatment and follow-up cases, there's always reason for hope. Even with crystal meth, there's reason to believe that patients can maintain sobriety with support groups, intense therapy —and commitment.
WCT: Any concluding remarks?
ME: Of the people who come into the program for the right reasons ( and they're not being coerced ) , I believe they leave here with a feeling that they're able to handle their lives and continue to recover. They'll always be a population, though, that's not really committed; they'll continue to have problems. Commitment is key.
VALEO, 4840 N. Marine, ( 800 ) 888-0560.
AIDSCare Kicked Out
The Society of Helpers, a Catholic order of nuns that had donated its Lakeview facility to AIDSCare for the cost of utilities, has asked the agency and its residents to vacate by Aug. 1. The society will be vacating the place as well and selling the property to a developer who will build luxury housing there.
AIDSCare is trying to find alternative housing for its 18 North Side residents who are HIV/AIDS-disabled. The organization will continue to operate scattered-site rental housing units with supportive services for some of the residents. However, AIDSCare will be unable to afford housing for all of the persons who originally lived there. Another problem is that the current Lakeview facility is designed to help, among others, those who cannot live on their own in independent housing; that aspect has caused major problems regarding the relocation of residents.
AIDSCare will continue to run and develop its housing campus in North Lawndale for over 100 homeless children, adults and families. See www.aidscarechicago.org .
African-American Leaders Discuss AIDS
Gwen Ifill, PBS senior correspondent and host of Washington Weekly, will moderate a discussion on HIV/AIDS in the African-American community. The event will take place June 20 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago, 6-7:30 p.m.
According to a press release from The AIDS Foundation of Chicago ( AFC ) , which is presenting the event along with the Chicago Foundation for Women ( CFW ) , Michelle Obama of the University of Chicago Hospitals will open the session with brief remarks. Panelists will include Cathy Cohen of the University of Chicago, Dr. Kimberly Smith of Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center, and Phill Wilson of the Black AIDS Institute.
Many will remember Ifill from when she moderated the vice presidential debate and posed the only HIV/AIDS-related question of the 2004 presidential campaign season's televised debates.
