Gracer Medical Group (GMG) has been treating patients with complex health issues since 1979. Because we are dedicated to treating the whole person, GMG Behavioral Health Services was created in 2005 to help our patients with the mental health and addiction problems that can co-exist with chronic pain.
Every year Gracer Medical Group sees hundreds of patients suffering from pain. Through the years we have discovered that dealing with chronic pain has lead to other problems that often go unaddressed.
First, many of our patients also suffer from depression or anxiety, either as a side affect of chronic and debilitating pain or as an underlying contributor to the pain. Second, we have seen that many patients, in fact an alarming number of them, are addicted to pain medication.
GMG Behavior Health Services Five Step Program
The program comprises a comprehensive system to accurately diagnose and treat the underlying cause of substance abuse.
- Proper diagnosis of the real causes of pain consisting of:
- A complete medical evaluation including the assessment of possible hormonal problems such as thyroid and sex hormones in both men and women.
- Looking for causes of silent inflammation, often the source of pain.
- Psychosocial treatments:
- Drinker’s Check Up and other brief therapy approaches
- Solution focused therapy
- Combined behavioral intervention
- Family therapy
- Intensive outpatient treatment in conjunction with New Connections, a well regarded non-profit organization
- Support groups
- Medical treatment for dealing with the cravings often associated with drug addiction:
- Subutex, also known as buprenorphine, an FDA approved outpatient treatment for addiction to narcotics, such as Vicodin, Norco, Oxycontin, methadone, and morphine.
- PROMETA™, a treatment plan for alcohol, cocaine, and methamphetamine dependence
- VIVITROL™ injections for alcohol dependence — recently approved by the FDA
- Acupuncture – provided by Dr. Alon Marcus, Certified Acupuncturist
- Treatment of underlying medical, neuropsychiatric, and nutritional issues
- Outpatient Intensive Treatment when needed is provided in partnership with New Connections, an award-winning nonprofit organization in Contra Costa County recognized as one of the top 20 programs in the country.
This type of comprehensive treatment takes a multi-disciplinary team approach. Richard I. Gracer, M.D., our medical director, has over 30 years of experience in the treatment of complex pain and nutritional problems. Toni Daniels, M.D., is a certified addiction specialist with wide-ranging experience in drug detox and addiction treatment. Steven Peterson, LCSW, has 20 years of experience treating substance abuse and pain patients in both clinical and research settings.
We also stress the need for our patients to maintain their relationships with their current or referring primary care and mental health practitioners and are anxious to work closely with them.
If you or someone you care about might be suffering from addiction problems, contact GMG Behavioral Health Services today for a confidential consultation.