Life Center of Galax
112 Painter Street, Galax, Virginia, 24333
The Life Center of Galax is committed to offering comprehensive, high-quality addiction and dual diagnosis services to the men and women who choose to heal with us.
We believe that the heart of an effective addiction recovery program is the talented professionals who work closely with the clients. To support this belief, Galax clients benefit from comprehensive personalized services that are provided by a multi-disciplinary treatment team of highly experienced professionals.
Our treatment team includes a psychologist, a medical director who is certified in addiction medicine, a licensed family therapist, certified addiction counselors and 24-hour nursing support.
We believe that effective treatment should address the behavioral, emotional and spiritual aspects of our clients’ addiction struggles. To provide clients with the premier foundation upon which to base long-term recovery, we offer a wide range of intervention activities, including group therapy, individual counseling and addiction education.
Because we realize that recovery is a lifelong experience, we have established the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) as key elements of our programs.
At the Life Center of Galax, we believe health care cost containment is everyone’s responsibility, and we’re ready to do our share.
Facility Highlights
- Gender Specific Programs
- Relapse Treatment
- DUI/DWI Program
Specialization
Dual Diagnosis Program
Dual Diagnosis treatment is a program which offers assistance to people whose recovery from substance abuse is complicated by a co-existing psychiatric problem. People with multiple problems can and do recover. Our program is designed to treat the individual holistically, addressing all issues as they relate to stabilization and recovery.Day Support/Partial Services
Life Center offers a less intense, more flexible approach to chemical dependency and dual diagnosis treatment through our day support/partial services. Admission to this level of care follows assessment and evaluation which illustrates the presence of one of the following: 1. Transition down from inpatient residential treatment to day treatment. 2. Failure of a lesser level of care, such as outpatient etc. 3. First time admission based on assessed need for structure and consistency not available through routine or intensive outpatient therapy. Clients in this program are admitted to the Life Center, assigned a case manager, and assessed through routine protocol used with inpatient treatment. Patients recommended for admission must demonstrate escalating responsibility for themselves and others, positive engagement in the treatment process, and the potential to develop and/or maintain sober support through family, self-help groups, etc.
Facility Settings
- Average Location/Amenities
Meet the Staff
Maria Encarnacion, MD, ASAM/AAFP, Board CertifiedMedical DirectorDr. Encarnacion began working in the medical field in 1984 as an Emergency Room physician in Smithtown, NY. Her affinity for addiction medicine began during these early years as a consultant physician for a substance abuse clinic in Suffolk County, NY. After moving to Virginia with her family in 1991 she worked with many populations from her own private practice as a family physician; Medical Director of a nursing home; and as Staff Physician at the Student Health Center at the University of Virginia Tech. Dr Maria has been Medical Director of the Life Center of Galax, a residential chemical dependency treatment facility in Southwest Virginia, since 1993. She has shared her knowledge and experiences with her staff, her patients and with communities in an effort to broaden education about the disease of addiction.
Tina Renee Bullins, MBAExecutive DirectorTina joined Life Center of Galax in 1986 as Marketing Director. Prior to coming to Life Center she worked in the human services field for the Virginia Department of Mental Health providing direct care services to young adults for four years and as a reporter for Landmark Community Newspapers. Tina was promoted to Executive Director in 1989. Tina obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism with a minor in Psychology from Radford University. She later completed her Master’s in Business Administration from Warren National University. Through the years, her commitment to patients, families and communities affected by addiction have fueled her desire to expand services, programming and the facility in order to better meet the changing needs of those with alcoholism and drug addiction. Incorporating evidenced based treatment models with a dedication to quality care has resulted in several program expansions including: services for DUI offenders, chronic relapse and dual diagnosis specialty groups and comprehensive opiate addiction treatment options. The facility has also grown from 38 to 103 beds over the years, and is currently in the process of building a new dormitory and dining facility which will expand capacity to 151 beds. The new dormitory annex is slated to open in July 2013.