A Rule 25 chemical use assessment is a type of evaluation meant to determine if a person has an alcohol or drug dependency issue, and if so, to help that person get drug treatment. The assessment is typically conducted by a licensed therapist. Oftentimes, the chemical assessment is court ordered ( such as for DUI / DWI ), and if so, the court will require a person to follow all recommenendations on the assessment. The courts also refer to these as a chemical dependency evaluation or alcohol assessment. It is important that you select your assessor carefully, and having your assessment done via Telemedicine allows you to have more options.
Telemedicine is the delivery of health care services, such as a rule 25 or chemical use assessments, through two-way interactive video while the client is at one site (such as the comfort of his or her home) and the medical professional is at his or her office in a different location. Telemedicine was recently approved by the Minnesota Legislature. Telemedicine allows for a Douglas County resident to select the most neutral, unbiased chemical assessor available in the state on Minnesota - such as through Avitity Health (612) 249-3656. Avitity has a Harvard-trained psychotherapist who will serve as your personal advocate through the assessment process. Additionally, telemedicine appointments allow for greater appointment flexibility and appointments can be scheduled for nights and weekends.
Telemedicine allows for a person to get a truly unbiased, independent, and private chemical assessment through one of the few independent chemical assessment companies in the state, such as through Avitity Health, which is based in Minneapolis. They offer state-wide telemedicine chemical assessments with state-licensed medical professionals conducted over a secure, encrypted web site that are compliant with HIPAA privacy and security requirements and regulations. Call (612) 249-3656 to schedule a chemical assessment via telemedicine.
Going to your local for-profit alcohol/drug treatment center in Douglas County for an assessment is typically a bad idea. For one, for-profit treatment center evaluators generally have a conflict of interest as they are trained to recruit people into their treatment center which is great for the center's profit margin - but necessarily in the best interest of that person getting assessed. This can cause a person to feel pressured to take part in a long-term treatment program or be misdiagnosed. If there is court involvement, the person would be expected to follow the recommendation for treatment - so it is crucial to get the assessment done right the first time around. For two, and because of this conflict mentioned above, individuals that really need help are referred into the for-profit alcohol/drug treatment center’s program, which is likely not the best treatment option available.
Working with an independent testing agency such as Avitity Health helps to ensure you get a fair and unbiased assessment. In addition, since addiction is widely misunderstood to be a moral problem not a medical one, our assessors are specially trained to go above and beyond to advocate for you to involved parties such as court officals or probation agents. Lastly, when a person needs treatment, independent chemical assessors help a person get into the best available treatment program available in the area, since they are not affiliated with any one treatment center, which is often at little advertised non-profit treatment centers. Call (612) 249-3656 to schedule a chemical assessment via telemedicine with Avitity Health.