Branch Recovery

Whether the Branch was committed by Urgent Care staff or off-premises by the patient, our team can offer Branch Recovery services. Patients whose Branches were committed by Urgent Care staff will automatically have Branch Recovery services rolled into their visit, or at the very least, an assessment to see if these services are needed.

Available Services

Depending on the elapsed time since the Branch commit, as well as the severity of symptoms, multiple services are available to alleviate post-Branch ailments. Branch Recovery services are only available for recently committed Branches. Suspended Branches should be admitted for Branch Remediation, while recently rescinded Branches should be referred to Primary Care, as persistent post-rescission blights may be indicative of an underlying problem.

AV Enhancement Therapy

AV enhancement therapy is available for patients who are having trouble with physiological symptoms after a committed Branch. Some Vices are particularly aggressive and tenacious, and even after a successful commit, can still be pursuing augmentation or germination. Excessive growth in either area often results in a full-body immune response. In addition to agitated blights, common physiological symptoms include:

• stuffy nose
• scratchy throat
• red, watery eyes
• headache or migraine
• fever
• nausea
• vomiting
• shortness of breath
• trouble breathing
• abnormal blood pressure
• fatigue
• joint pain

While this therapy is typically performed regularly by an AV Specialist in Primary Care, Branch Recovery Specialists are able to facilitate a smaller session to help address any immediate issues. AV Enhancement Therapy is most often given to patients who had their Branch committed in Urgent Care, though patients whose Branches were committed offsite can also be seen.

AV enhancement therapy helps to supplement a patient’s natural AV output, and this is typically achieved by the Branch Recovery Specialist (BRS) making direct contact with the patient’s hands or summoning site, with their consent. The BRS will emit a faint but steady flow of AV from their palms, which will both stimulate and supplement the patient’s production of AV. Due to the gradual introduction of AV—rather than the sudden addition of AV to the bloodstream with an AV Shot—rogue Branches are unlikely.

The heightened production of AV will gradually subdue the Vice’s growth and cause it to retreat. If needed, antihistamines may be administered to curb some of the symptoms if they persist after the Vice has been subdued, as they are prone to do. The patient will be discharged once their Vice-related symptoms are alleviated. Because this is a single session performed to provide immediate relief, the BRS will likely refer the patient to Primary Care to be seen by an AV Specialist who will determine if further treatment is needed. Learn more about this holistic treatment in Primary Care: AV Enhancement Therapy.

Blight Management

If a patient is experiencing agitated blights without the physiological symptoms or if the AV enhancement therapy session was not successful, a Branch Recovery Specialist may administer an AV Shot or a round of suppressants depending on the Vice’s threat level and maturity.

AV Shot

AV Shots are extremely powerful but pose the risk of triggering a rogue Branch; however, because treatment is facilitated relatively soon after committing a Branch, a Branch is unlikely. This treatment is still generally regarded as risky, as the administering of an AV Shot can still result in future rogue behavior, and the patient should be on high alert.

This device floods a Host's body with AV to combat an advancing Vice and is similar in appearance and mechanics to an epinephrine auto-injector. The AV attacks both the Vice’s network and the core; however, in the case of mature or intelligent Vices, this shot can simply agitate the core and increase growth. For this reason, AV Shots are typically not administered for mature Vices or those with a high threat level.

After symptoms have subsided, the patient will be referred to a Vice Management Administrator for monitoring and Vice Management.

Suppressants

While suppressants are typically administered daily over the course of a month, Branch Recovery Specialists prescribe a specific regimen that mimics the tapering dosage schedule of steroids. Because of their extended release abilities, suppressants deliver a steady stream of AV to the patient’s system; however, like AV enhancement therapy, the level of AV is much lower and is only able to tame the elevated VG levels throughout the body instead of targeting the network and core directly.

Because of this indirect approach, suppressants typically only manage symptoms, rather than remediating the root cause. Long-term use on suppressants is not recommended, as they tend to mask Vice activity and can create dependencies.

A tapering dose of suppressants is administered to provide relief from agitated blights, and the patient will be referred to a Vice Management Administrator for monitoring and Vice Management.