IAFF Center of Excellence is a behavioral health treatment and recovery center that specializes in PTSD for professional fire service members who struggle with trauma, substance use, and addiction. Treatment is evidence-based with a multidisciplinary approach, combining the expertise of doctors, nurses, and clinicians from different disciplines to treat the whole person not just the addiction or co-occurring disorder. They mainly treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. IAFF Center of Excellence has a clinically managed
detox, inpatient residential,
partial hospitalization (PHP), intensive
outpatient (
IOP), teletherapy, and aftercare planning. The therapies that are used include individual and group therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (
CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), life skills, nutrition class, 12-step facilitation, exposure therapy, pharmaceutical therapy, and experiential therapy. IAFF Center of Excellence offers an in-depth aftercare plan that includes connections to relapse prevention strategies, 12-step support, alumni mentoring program, return to work planning and support, diagnostic check-ins, and local behavioral and physical health care providers. They are accredited by the Joint Commission.
IAFF Center of Excellence is stretched over 15 acres and spread out between 7 buildings. IAFF Center of Excellence clients stay in 1 of 4 station houses each house fitted with comfortable furnishings and designed with a firehouse theme. Clients are housed together based on their shared treatment needs to help build camaraderie and a support system. Clients will have access to walking trails, yoga classes, animal assisted intervention, outdoor volleyball, basketball court, outdoor pool, and a fully equipped fitness center. Clients will also have nutrition coaching and well rounded meals and snacks available.
Evidence-Based Context: According to SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2023), approximately 48.7 million Americans aged 12 or older had a substance use disorder in the past year. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) emphasizes that treatment programs combining behavioral therapy with medication-assisted approaches show the highest rates of sustained recovery. Facilities like IAFF Center of Excellence provide structured pathways to evidence-based care.
Sources: SAMHSA NSDUH 2023, NIDA Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment (4th Ed.)