Begin Your Journey to Recovery
Most admissions calls to RBH Rehab happen at the edge of a crisis - after an ER visit, a relapse, a hard family conversation, or that 2 a.m. moment when you finally admit to yourself that something has to change. We know what that call feels like to make. The first conversation with our admissions team is built around it.
The call is confidential, costs nothing, and has one purpose - to understand what is happening and figure out, together, what the safest next step is. That might mean a same-day detox admission. It might mean a scheduled intake later in the week. It might mean a referral to a different level of care if that is honestly what your situation calls for. We will tell you the truth, not the pitch.
Once the clinical picture is clear, we verify insurance - usually in under an hour - and walk you through what coverage looks like in your specific case. We coordinate transportation from anywhere in the Bay Area, including hospital-to-hospital transfers from Stanford Health Care, San Mateo Medical Center, Mills-Peninsula, Sequoia Hospital, and Kaiser Redwood City. By the time we hang up, you should know where you or your loved one will sleep that night, what the days ahead look like, and what the cost picture is in plain numbers.
Our Admissions Process
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Call Our Team
Reach out to our admissions specialists at (209) 774-7249. Available 24/7, confidential, no obligation.
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Assessment
We conduct a thorough clinical assessment to understand your unique situation and determine the best level of care.
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Insurance Verification
Our team verifies your insurance benefits and explains coverage so there are no surprises.
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Travel & Arrival
We coordinate travel logistics and welcome you to our facility with a personalized intake process.
Insurance We Accept
We work with most major insurance providers to make treatment accessible.
- Aetna
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Medicaid
- Medicare
- Ambetter
- Cigna
- Oscar Health
- Humana
Don't see your provider? Call (209) 774-7249 to discuss payment options.
What to Bring
The packing list is short on purpose. If you arrive without something, our intake team can provide it or arrange a family drop-off in the first week.
- Government-issued photo ID - driver license, state ID, or passport
- Insurance card if applicable, and any current prescription bottles in their original pharmacy packaging
- One week of comfortable, modest clothing - layers for the walking trails, closed-toe shoes for the equine therapy barn, a swimsuit for the heated therapy pool
- Hygiene items in sealed containers (toothbrush, unopened toothpaste, deodorant)
- Prescription eyeglasses or contact supplies, hearing aids, CPAP machine if prescribed
- One book, one journal, and a sealed pen
- Paper contact list - family, sponsors, employers (personal phones are collected at intake)
What not to bring: alcohol, non-prescribed medication, mouthwash containing alcohol, aerosols, sharp objects, laptops, tablets, pets, or outside food and beverages.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is treatment, really?
The honest answer is that it depends on where you start. Most people spend three to seven days in medical detox, then thirty to ninety days in residential care. PHP adds two to four more weeks, and IOP adds another eight to twelve. You will not be pushed out before you are ready, and you will not be kept longer than insurance and clinical progress warrant. Your admissions specialist will walk you through a realistic timeline on the first call.
Will my insurance actually cover this?
Probably more of it than you are expecting, and we verify in under an hour so you are not guessing. We are in-network with Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Medicaid, Medicare, Ambetter, Oscar Health, and Humana. Even if you are not listed there, give us a call - out-of-network benefits often still cover a meaningful portion of care, and we will tell you the real numbers before you commit to anything.
What about confidentiality - will my employer find out?
Your treatment is protected by federal law (42 CFR Part 2), which is meaningfully stricter than standard HIPAA. We do not confirm or deny that any specific person is a patient here without explicit written authorization. Many of our patients take leave under FMLA or short-term disability without disclosing the specific reason. The choice about what to share with your employer is yours - our admissions team can walk you through the legal and practical landscape on the first call.
Can my family visit?
Yes - scheduled visits on weekends, after the first week. We ask for the first seven days to be family-free so your loved one can settle into treatment, and then our family programming becomes part of the clinical plan. Visiting is not just permitted; it is a structured part of the therapeutic week.
What about my phone?
Phones are collected at intake and stored safely. You will have scheduled phone hours - typically two windows per day in residential - to call family, employers, sponsors, or anyone else on your clinically approved contact list. The boundary is not about control. It is about giving your nervous system a chance to settle without the pull of a thousand notifications.
Is detox going to be as awful as I am imagining?
Withdrawal is real, but it does not have to be terrifying. You will have a physician monitoring you, comfort medication available around the clock, a nurse within arm's reach, and a quiet room designed for the hardest hours. Most patients describe the first 48 hours as the worst and the rest as progressively easier. You will not go through it alone.
What if I have done treatment before and it did not stick?
That describes most of the people who come to RBH. Substance use disorder behaves clinically like other chronic illnesses - hypertension, diabetes, asthma - all of which have similar or higher recurrence rates. Prior attempts are not evidence of failure. They are clinical data. We take what worked, what did not, and build a plan around the reality of your history rather than starting from a blank page.
What if I do not speak English as a first language?
San Mateo County is one of the most linguistically diverse counties in California, and our admissions and clinical teams coordinate language access in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese as a routine matter. If your preferred language is not on that list, we will arrange professional interpretation. The first call can happen in whatever language you are most comfortable in.
Can someone walk me through admission right now?
Yes - that is exactly what our admissions specialists are there for. Call (209) 774-7249 any hour of any day. No phone tree, no recording - a real person, clinically trained, who will stay on the line as long as you need. If you prefer email, write to [email protected] and we will respond the same day.