FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 5, 2002
Alaskans Waiting in Line for Substance Abuse Treatment
New study supports need for expanded services
Alaskans who want treatment for alcoholism and other substance abuse disorders often wait months for a place in Alaska's treatment programs due to lack of space, according to a report released today by the Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (ADA).
The report, Waiting in Line for Treatment, summarizes the results of a survey conducted by C&S Management for ADA in late 2001. The survey showed that on any given day, an average of 302 people living in eight Alaska communities have signed up for treatment in a program that has no space available for them. Men linger an average of 66 days on the waiting list, while women wait an average of 51 days for placement.
Three in four women on the waiting list have children. During the survey period (October 15-December 1, 2001), 213 children had mothers on the waiting list. Such children are effectively on the waiting list as well, while their mothers' addictions continue untreated.
The effect on family life can be brutal. The study showed that 37% of women on the waiting list had an open case at the Division of Family and Youth Services (which investigates reports of harm against children). Almost half of the women on the waiting list had children in out-of-home placement. Women waiting for a space in a program that accepts women with children wait an average of 107 days, according to the report.
Waiting lists can present a deterrent to receiving urgently needed
treatment. Getting on a waiting list requires time and effort from
people ready to confront their alcoholism or other substance abuse
disorders. Waiting in line offers time for obstacles to arise. About
1/3 of those on the waiting list eventually drop off the list.
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