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Marlboro, MD

IAFF Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery

The IAFF Center of Excellence is a flagship recovery center where IAFF members can heal from behavioral health conditions.

Google Rating
4.9
Based on 812 reviews
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“After getting my life-changing treatment, I can now be home with a clear feeling in my brain, and not have to worry about if I will live through the day.”

John Bates, IAFF Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery Alumni

Facility Overview

Through a partnership between the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) and Advanced Recovery Systems, a nationwide leader in rehabilitation and behavioral health, the IAFF Center of Excellence is a flagship recovery center where IAFF members can heal from behavioral health conditions.

The first of its kind, the IAFF Center of Excellence offers treatment exclusively for fire fighters, dispatchers and first responders. We offer treatment for mental health conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complicated grief, along with rehab for drug and alcohol abuse.

Located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, the IAFF Center for Excellence is approximately 30 minutes from Washington, DC, and an hour from Dulles International Airport. Designed with fire fighters in mind, our 15-acre campus is ideal for focusing on treatment and recovery. Our dual-diagnosis rehab programs balance medical support with mental health counseling, while our recreational therapies facilitate whole-person healing.

The IAFF Center of Excellence is accredited by The Joint Commission, a member of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers, and licensed by the state of Maryland for both substance abuse treatment and mental health treatment.

Levels of Care

During this level of care, clients work through withdrawal symptoms under the supervision of medical professionals.

Also known as inpatient treatment, residential treatment is the most intensive level of care after medical detox, with continued monitoring while living at the facility full-time.

Partial hospitalization is a step down from intensive rehab like detox and inpatient care.

During intensive outpatient treatment, clients usually live off-site at a facility but are dedicated to preparing for life after rehab.

In outpatient programming, clients live at home or in a sober living home and commute to rehab during the week.

Outline each client’s next steps after their treatment ends, including follow-up appointments and recommendations for nearby support groups.

Clinically Managed Detox

During this level of care, clients work through withdrawal symptoms under the supervision of medical professionals.

Residential Treatment

Also known as inpatient treatment, residential treatment is the most intensive level of care after medical detox, with continued monitoring while living at the facility full-time.

Partial Hospitalization Programming

Partial hospitalization is a step down from intensive rehab like detox and inpatient care.

Intensive Outpatient Programming

During intensive outpatient treatment, clients usually live off-site at a facility but are dedicated to preparing for life after rehab.

Outpatient Programming

In outpatient programming, clients live at home or in a sober living home and commute to rehab during the week.

Aftercare Planning

Outline each client’s next steps after their treatment ends, including follow-up appointments and recommendations for nearby support groups.

About This Facility

Facility Amenities

  • Swimming pool
  • Exercise gym
  • Basketball court
  • Sand volleyball court
  • Walking trails
  • Pickleball
  • Yoga
  • Foosball table
  • Ping pong table
  • Video games

Other

Vapes Allowed
Off-site field trips

Available amenities and activities may differ depending on the level of care.

Accepted Insurance

The IAFF Center of Excellence is in-network with most major insurance carriers including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana, and United. 

If you don’t have health insurance or your coverage is limited, that shouldn’t prevent you from accessing care. The IAFF Center of Excellence offers private pay options to accommodate your needs.

We are simplifying the health insurance verification process with our online system, allowing you to verify your benefits in seconds. By streamlining the insurance verification process, we connect you to the care you need, as quickly as possible. 

Our online insurance verification tool is HIPAA-compliant, so your information stays completely confidential.

IAFF Center of Excellence Reviews

The IAFF COE has changed my life. It is an amazing organization and facility. The people are amazing. There are no words to explain how amazing the staff is. They are the hero’s for the hero’s.
The COE saved my life. Before I got here I was on edge, contemplating life as it was crumbling apart beneath me. I got here everyone was warm and welcoming, made some life long friends, learned a lot about myself, and why I do the things that I do that lead me to this point. Leaving here my mental health issues and substance abuse problems have subsided. I now have mental tools to handle everyday situations that I used to struggle with, support from several different outlets and the ability to recognize me falling back into the same patterns. Advanced recovery needs the IAFF, the IAFF does not need advanced recovery. The reason this place works so well is because it’s for firefighters with firefighters, the director and the staff understand that. Thanks again! I can’t wait to start the rest of my life.
I was “voluntold” to come here March 2022, and I’m very glad that I was. I am a much happier person than I was when I got here. I am ready & willing to face my challenges head on without the help of alcohol. If you think you need to come here, you do. They are all great, and want nothing but the best for you.
Man I can not be more thankful for the help and guidance I have received from the COE . I truly believe they have saved me from the dark place I was in, and have taught me how to cope and use the tools I have learned through my recovery to stay in the good place I am in today . Do not get me wrong I am still in recovery everyday to help me stay in my great state of mind I wanna stay in . You will never be the better person that you are looking for without putting in The work and learn everyday .PTSD and Tramua are real and we all need and deserve to be taken care of to help us through this long journey . I will never change my career or all the good and the bad we have seen and experienced , but wish we were made available these tools early on in our career .Thank you to all from theCOECaptain William Reed 27 years on the Rescue 💪🙏❤️
I came to the COE broken and left better than I’d ever imagined. The programming is excellent. The staff and Admin is on point. I made lifelong friendships and gained skills to manage my trauma.
Response from the owner: We are glad to receive such positive feedback about our staff and treatment programs. We hope to continue helping people, no matter where they are in their recovery.
I went to the Center of excellence in 2022 and 2023. The difference between my two visits was in 2023. I listen to everything they said I paid attention. I learned about PTSD and when I left the facility, I followed all of her instructions continuing my therapy twice a week, going to my NA meetings, going to a slower firehouse and building a network of men around me to keep me on the right path which in fact turned out to be the guys I Worked with the longest and guys you would never expect stepped up and held me accountable. I can say now I'm living a life that I didn't even know existed or even something to dream about because you have no idea the kind of freedom you can get in the hell that we've all been trapped in so if you're lucky enough to make it to the center of excellence I'll tell you this and then shut up. It's basically a tourniquet on a hemorrhaging wound to stop the bleeding stabilize you give you all the tools necessary for when you leave because when you leave that's when the real work starts and you have to go see the brain, surgeon or neurosurgeon to repair the damage arteries so you can enjoy the rest of your life DCFD
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FAQs

Yes, rehab at the IAFF Center of Excellence is always confidential, and your presence here will only be disclosed to the people you choose. Your union leaders, fellow fire fighters, friends and family members will not be informed of your treatment without your consent.

Cell phones will be securely stored upon arrival and returned at discharge. Following an initial adjustment period upon arrival, clients may use our facility’s phones three times a week.

No, our facility does not pay for transportation to or from the center, but representatives can help clients coordinate travel arrangements, if necessary.

Read About Traveling to Rehab

Treatment program lengths at the IAFF Center of Excellence vary depending on each client’s needs. We understand that many fire fighters and first responders may be concerned about time spent away from their jobs, but typically, the longer a person stays in treatment, the better equipped they are to handle life after rehab.

Contact Details

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