Reassessment - Day 46

I’ve been in Seattle for a week now and I’m completely shocked at how quickly things have been falling into place.

Before I left I couldn’t find any place willing to help me. It’s been suggested that many psychologists and the like won’t take on new patients who are actively using drugs. While I believe that is a horrible policy that likely prolongs the suffering of many people, I’m glad to find that it’s easier once you finally take that first step.

About a year and a half ago I had reached out to Seattle Counseling Services. It was during the period that my drinking was starting to get out of control and I wanted to start seeing a therapist. I could tell that things were going to become unmanageable but I had no idea how I could stop them. I was told they would be unable to help me given my insurance. I could come in and see someone if I wanted to pay for the services entirely out of pocket, but that was far from a viable options.

The rejection only caused things to deteriorate further. There is nothing worse than finally getting to the point where you’re willing to ask for help and being told they can’t help you. This was especially upsetting because their stated mission is to help LGBTQ individuals and it seemed like another snub from a community I was trying to find my place within.

One of the biggest things that I learned in Hawaii was that in order to fully recover I am going to have to ask for help. Not just from people that offer it, but from people who have told me no before. So on my last Saturday in Honolulu I sent in a second application for services to SCS. They replied to my request Monday morning.

I spoke with a patient care representative last Tuesday afternoon. They were most concerned about confirming that I had in fact been clean for at least some period of time. I reassured them that it had been over a month and that as of now I was determined to maintain my sobriety, however in time I’m sure that will change without assistance.

The changes in my situation made me eligible for their services, but as with every attempt to get help there were hoops for me to jump through. This time I didn’t need to get a physical and the mental evaluation would be performed by one of their staff members. What they did need is for me to be covered by Medicaid in King County, not Honolulu.

I was afraid that getting health insurance was going to be a nightmare. People had warned me that it wasn’t going to be easy, so I prepared myself for a long drawn out battle with local bureaucrats. If I had insurance before the end of the month I was going to be happy.

I attempted to register on their website. Given that my address has been changing constantly, at times even weekly, they were unable to confirm my identity through their system. I was going to have to call them. So I brewed a whole pot of coffee, grabbed my notebook and pen, put on an extended playlist and called into the Washington state medicaid group, Apple Health.

I was on hold for about fifteen minutes, listening to the same twenty second message on repeat. I wonder if they intentional design them to break you down at little more with each repetition. I nearly hung up about every four minutes just out of pure frustration. However the idea of actually having to go into the office was unsettling enough to suffer through.

The woman who answered my call sounded completely exhausted already. I kept telling myself that it wasn’t her fault I was on hold for so long and tried to present a positive attitude. My demeanor paid off.

She told me that I needed to send in a copy of my ID so they could confirm my identity, but she would wait on the line with me while I take a picture and email it in. That way she could get it processed right away. We chatted about Hawaii and the terrible weather Seattle had the past few months. All in all it took about ten minutes and she had me all set up in the system.

There was a small concern that I wouldn’t be able to apply for benefits until I cancelled my insurance with the state of Hawaii. It was more offered as a warning than anything else as she readily admitted that things were changing constantly to make things easier. It turns out that the updates were in fact improvements and I was approved for services, effective retroactively to the first of April.

I don’t want to go into a full blown political rant at this point so I’ll just simply say with all the sincerity in my heart, Thanks Obama.

On Wednesday I called back SCS and informed them I was approved for services locally. They were able to confirm this immediately and scheduled me for an assessment Tuesday April 25th, today. What took me nearly three months in Hawaii I was able to accomplish in a week.

I arrived at the office at 8:15 am, fifteen minutes late. This is now the fourth assessment I’ve had this year, so I was well versed in the process. They block out two hours to complete everything and we finished in about an hour and fifteen minutes.

It was determined that I am eligible for two different services they offer, psychotherapy and addiction recovery. Therapy is likely to be once every two weeks, though I’m going to see if it’s possible to go weekly for the first couple months. Their intensive outpatient program meets all day for three days a week. In 3-10 days I will be receiving a call from each division to schedule a start date.

Counseling and formal treatment were the two most pressing concerns about my return to Seattle. It’s a huge relief to have been able to secure both in such short order. Once I have the definitive schedule I can make the next major step towards actual reintegration: employment.