McAlister Institute - Lemon Grove, California

Dick Ros

I came here as a walk in. This program is great for all individuals that are dealing with drugs an alcoholic use. This program well help you stay clean an get on the right path to sobriety but only you can make a difference for yourself . If you are not ready to get clean don't waste your time because you well run away. I had learn the hard way , so don't lie to yourself if you are just doing it for others reason . You won't succeed in anything. Thank you McAlister.

Steve Snider

These folks took care of me and showed me kindness ever step of the way while i slowly regained my strength. There are no perfect programs but they certainly do their best to treat clients with respect and dignity, even when it's inconvenient and frustrating. I'm grateful for McAlister and highly recommend them to anyone who's sick and tired of being sick and tired and considering detox.

Brianna Rose

Kiva is a joke or maybe it is just the intake people. First, I had been calling for about a whole month leaving several messages. Didn’t receive a call back until weeks later just to tell me there is no availability. The lady I spoke to named michelle is the one who told me this but offered to do a phone screening the next week on Wednesday in case there was availability. She also told me to call back on Monday to check for openeing.
But On Monday a woman named kathy called me to tell me there is no availability. I explained that Michelle and I had scheduled a phone screeening and she also had told me to check if any spots became open.
Kathy puts me on hold for five minutes then she says I am not scheduled for a phone screening nope I’m not anywhere on there list or whatever. Kathy said Michelle works in a different department. She doesn’t do intake. Im like okay so what did she schedule me for? Michelle doesn’t work in this department she does something else and I am no where to be found in there system. I was over it and just said okay goodbye.

Wednesday I get a phone call from KATHY At mcalister and she says we have a phone screening scheduled today can she call me at 1 pm.
I’m like really confused at this point but I really do want to detox off drugs so I don’t even argue it and I don’t even mention that on Monday she said I wasn’t on the list and nothing was scheduled.
She scheduled me to come in on Friday so I can begin detox.
Next day on Thursday Kathy calls me back again and asks me when the last time I used I told her a little over 24 hours ago and she tells me oh no we can’t take you.

I don’t know what the place is like but mcalister really needs to replace Kathy at intake because I think this lady is on drugs LOL. I told her you know what I will just do it myself! and hung up the phone.

Very unprofessional and doesn’t know how to talk to people and has no idea what she’s doing. Why is she even there she doesn’t even seem interested in helping. I just wanted to get better.
I will seek treatment elsewhere .
I wouldn’t recommend wasting your time.

Heidi Johnson

Hmm where do I even start!
It has been about 9 years since I graduated from Kiva. And I am still clean and sober today and very happy with my life. My kids thank you and I thank you so much for a second chance. I love you guys. Especially my counselor at the time was Anna. I love you Anna you are so awesome and a wonderful person, thank you for being you! You guys don't get enough credit for what you do. (save lives)

Mike Machado

It's a worm welcoming. The thought of having a clean environment to get clean is cool. But once they set u up, it's starts to unfold.
1st they handed blankets and sheet. My sheets ant even white any more there yellowish lookin.
2nd. I wasn't aware that I can only smoke at certain times supervised.
3rd. U must remain in ur room, which sucked because people in my room are dirty living.
4th. I tried to just relax and not let it get to me, so I went to shower. Bro I open the shower doors and instantly it smelled, hasn't been cleaned, people's trash everywhere and a dirty towel on the floor.
I went to tell the workers here, and they told me Noone has to do anything, that if I wanted to shower in a clean shower that I scrub the shower myself.
I haven't been here 12hrs and I'm ready to leave. What's upset in is I'm paying for this.

Thatone Guy

This place is so good to you the nicest councelors I was at the detox for 3 weeks wish I would've went way sooner but it's all good.

Reanna Givens

This is an absolute terrible program for parolees or ab109. There's no funding or help transitioning into society. It's goi don't for c.p.s. cases and still I wouldn't want my kid at a place so scumy with black mold and bed bugs. The counselors are terrible, non approachable. There's about 1 process group a week, if your looking for a good program because you need help and you want it you won't get it here.

Maria Lee

Please go to VOA Volunteers of America instead. At least their councilors do not lie under oath and discredit their past client's. My best friend has spent 3 years recovering from a slip and fall injury she sustained while standing in line, in the dining area, on a puddle of water. She was immediately taken to the ER and thrown out of Kiva, 3 days later after she had returned back from her primary doctor, who stated she has internal derangement of the knee. Three years later, my best friend is still in physical therapy and has been through the worst hell trying to learn how to walk again. Now she cannot even get McAlister to pay her medical bills because councilor Lashanna lied and said my friend caused her own accident when she told my friend to mop the floor. My friend was there only a few hours, so honestly what councilor instructs their client to mop the floor the first few hours in the program. My friend was doing exactly what she was suppose to be doing which was shadowing her big sister around, learning the daily routine of the program, and was in line getting her dinner tray with her big sister. Her big sister wrote a statement of exactly what happened, but it was thrown out because the councilors are held to a higher standard. If lying under oath is a higher standard, what will the councilors at McAlister do next? Get high with clients? Nothing would surprise me anymore with this place. My friend is stuck with her own medical bills now because of this rotten apple councilor Lashanna which has a worse criminal record than my friend, I might add. I've done my research on everything, because my friend deserves justice and some councilors deserve to be put in jail for their fraudulent behavior. Shame on you Jeanne McAlister, for letting your staff ruin my friend's life and allowing your councilors to lie about their clients. And most of all, shame on you for running a rehab that has no procedures in place, to report when a client gets injured on their property. The incident was instead swept under the rug, never documented and my friend got the quick boot outta there. Shame on all of Kiva's unethical staff and shame on Jeanne McAlister.