November 15 to 27, 2011
At the same time Gabriela was working to make her way back, emotionally, through her daily therapy, I started working intently on “after care” options. My beginning was a list of 87 inpatient facilities in the state of California that I’d found on the Internet.
I Googled each facility on the list to see if I thought it might work for Gabriela’s needs, and if it passed, I handed it over the Claire for a second look. If we both agreed, then I gave the facility a call for a quick phone interview. We went through this process for every facility on the list.
At the end of this preliminary evaluation process, we had a list of just six facilities we felt could meet Gabriela’s needs. Of those six, one offered only a three–week program; four would not bill insurance, and their costs ranged from $40,000 monthly and up; and one was a not-for-profit that would not bill insurance. This last facility was closer than any others, and it was about one quarter of the average cost.
I tried to find other suitable facilities by calling both my daughter’s primary insurance company and her state provided secondary insurance, Medi-Cal. Neither could help. The primary insurer did offer to approve any facility I could find that was a good fit.
Gabriela, Dr. Duncan, Abbey the social worker and I had discussed after care and we all felt she would need help for quite a while; possibly as long as a full year. My task, with Abbey’s help, was to find the places that might work and figure out how I would pay.
One evening, less than ten days into Gabriela’s hold, Pat, a relief social worker who I had not previously met, approached Gabriela and I and invited us into her small office. She bluntly opened with, “Well, it looks like Gabriela will be going home tomorrow, so here is an outpatient program that may work for her.”
This sent both Gabriela and I spinning! I leaned forward and looked into her face. “What the hell are you talking about? She is on a hold!”
“Yes, well she will be re-evaluated tomorrow by her insurance company and she is doing quite well, so I’m sure they will be discharge her.”
“Where’s Abbey?” I asked, trying not to offend Pat, but getting painfully close to losing my temper with this halfwit.
“She will be back on Tuesday, I am covering for her.”
“Well, don’t. We will work with Abbey. Do not talk with my daughter if I am not present!” Gabriela and I stood and walked out of her office.
The very next evening, just as Claire and I had finished our visit with Gabriela and were waiting for the doors to be opened so that we could leave, in walked Pat. She quickly scrambled to pull out an application for me, almost toppling the stack of papers she was carrying and asked if I had a few minutes?
“No,” I responded, “we are leaving.”
I eyed her as she passed me and headed directly for Gabriela. I asked Claire to wait for me a minute, and headed after Pat in time to interrupt her as she started to talk with Gabriela.
“I believe I told you not to speak with my daughter when I was not present. What part of that confused you?” I wasn’t being nice.
Pat apologized and handed me the application, which I barely glanced at. She told me I needed to fill it out as soon as I could and that she had found an inpatient facility. I assured her I would look it over and waited till she walked off, before I repeated my goodbyes to Gabriela and left with Claire.
In the car, Claire read the application for Tranquility Psychiatric Centers to me. It was one of the six candidates Claire and I had dug out of the list of 87, and it was the not-for-profit. Pat had included a brief information sheet, which Claire also read aloud. Tranquility sounded like what we were looking for. Hopefully things would get easier if Gabriela went there.