Conifer Park - Outpatient Treatment Center - Troy

“The staff here at Conifer have been the most pleasant supportive team I've come across I'm my yrs of recovery. I'm 56 and these people have been the best support in my experience. I've fallen many times and the team here has always been extremely kind and accommodating of my issues. Any problems I have they r willing and ready to help with. One thing they need to improve on is scheduled appts the same day. As in having more than one appointment in one day. I drive along time to get over an hour so it would be nice if I could have all my appointments in the same day. Yet this place has been a source of help and helps me to be resilient”

“This clinic is so amazing and supportive! Staff is always trying to listen and help despite being so busy. I sometimes sit back and watch what it takes to run this clinic, from trying to keep everything running smoothly and keeping clients happy at the same time! The staff have a tough job but they do it well. It feels good to be greeted and recognized by all the staff when you walk into the clinic from the secretaries, counselors, and the Director who seems to always make it a point to check in with everyone while on her way through to take care of something. The staff is caring, and they understand addiction and what it takes to recover. I appreciate the Troy clinic and staff more than they know!!!! The clinic deserves a thousand Gold Stars!!!!”

“This clinic is the worse one I have ever went too. The director is complete trash. They are very biased in decision making. If you don't want help come here. Im prescribed valium it is coming up as 3 different benzos now. EVERYTIME I TAKE A URINE TEST WE HAVE A PROBLEM. THEY WONT HELP YOU THEY SAY I AM TAKING 3 DIFFERENT BENZOS NOW. THEY WANT YOU TO MESS YOURSELF UP. GO ANYWHERE ELSE BUT, HEAR ALBANY HAS BETTER CLINICS AND SO DOES FUSION. IT IS A JOKE . My blood work came back right and they still took away bottles from me. The excuse after they found I was clean was drinking. They have more problems than, I have ever seen at any clinic. I have been too 6 different outpatient clinics and they always have problem.”

“I have never been so ashamed to be a patient anywhere in my life. Let’s get something straight: this is not a harm-reduction program. This is a one size fits all model that you might get lucky with if you are willing and able to put up the fight.And your oh-so compassionate counselor will go from hot to cold the minute you actually need advocacy- because “they’re just doing their job.” But they’re not making sure no one is being harassed and threatened in the waiting room, they are not ensuring that the doctor treats anyone with any human decency or is anything other than careless. One glass of wine during havdalah, a Brit Milah, a pidyon haBen, a wedding, Purim, Seder, or if your not Jewish communion/eucharist or any of the other religious alcohol intake, and you’re getting a consequence equivalent to what they hand you for going on a weekend dope bender. G-d forbid you are just having a glass of wine with your spouse, and it’s not a religiously related thing- I can’t imagine that if I’m dealing with a punishment over a religious practice that it would be fun if I was out with friends, practicing harm reduction. I hate to say it, but I think doing dope every day would actually be easier than navigating conifer park’s outpatient program. Unfortunately, I cannot return to that for the sanity of the people who I am accountable to and who love me. So, I continue to go to this clinic. I hope people can find care elsewhere- because not all of us had a warning to heed, or ability to get somewhere further from home. If you have no option but to go to conifer park for your MAT, im genuinely hoping you read this, because this will not be disclosed to you other than a giant packet with a bunch of insane loopholes they call their handbook that exists to protect them, not you, not me. I will give you a fair heads-up as to what you are in for: a complete lack of regard as an individual person with an individual case and individual needs (conifer park offers a one size fits all model— which is the antithesis of harm reduction) and you will be met with snappy, and even threatening language about being kicked out of the program should you try and raise a concern to the secretarial staff up front. The past assistant director was so nasty to me over an issue that was at the fault of this establishment that was affecting my employment. If you raise a concern to your counselor, it depends on which one you see, there is a 25% chance it goes anywhere, and a 5% chance where it goes is anywhere actionable. Most likely, your needs might as well be piss in the wind unless you literally beg, and prove that you are just as much of a person as they are. The dosing nurse is the only person in the building I have thought is actually understanding of her position and the power that addiction treatment centers has over its patients, and treats that power responsibly. Kaitlynn deserves a round of applause for all she deals with everyday, and I know she is doing her best- even when advocacy is not her position. I shouldn’t have to beg for care, no one should. I shouldn’t have to be mistreated, discriminated against for being trans (like it or not, it’s the law, and if they’ll discriminate against me, they’ll find a way to discriminate against you too) or literally fight for my dear life until I am heard. Not to mention the lack of religious protection pertaining to a glass of wine during the shabbos. They will tell you there’s someone you can talk to. a director, a state board, etc. and I truly wish you all the best getting in touch with them if you do go through with treatment at conifer park. despite my reaching out, I have not heard a peep. This bureaucracy they will becry might as will be a folk tale- it’s as real as the boogie man. At the end of the day, I am only forced to confront that I am just another junkie to these practitioners and their faculty members, so are all of the people I sit in that grueling waiting room with- it saddens and disgusts me as a harm reduction specialist working in the field, and as a human being in recovery.”