President Bush today announced $100 million in Access to Recovery
grants to provide people seeking drug and alcohol treatment with
vouchers for a range of appropriate community-based services.
By providing vouchers, the grant program promotes client choice,
expands access to a broad array of clinical treatment and recovery
support services, including services provided by faith- and
community-based programs, and increases substance abuse treatment
capacity.
The grants are being awarded to 14 states and one tribal
organization. Three-year grants are being awarded to
California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana,
Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Tennessee, Texas, Washington,
Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the California Rural Indian Health Board.
In fiscal year 2005, President Bush has proposed doubling the
funding for Access to Recovery to help even more of those seeking
treatment.
“Giving people the power to choose a treatment program that
reflects their values and needs can help them triumph over
addiction and achieve recovery,” HHS Secretary Tommy G.
Thompson said. “Access to Recovery will help Americans
who are seeking treatment but are unable to obtain care. This
program is designed to help people reach recovery in body, mind,
and heart.”
John Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy said,
“Treatment works. But addiction is not a one-size-fits-all
disease. This program represents the next step in our ability to
treat this disease, opening the door to a full range of treatment
providers, and offering treatment access to thousands of Americans
who would otherwise remain trapped in the maze of addiction.”
HHS’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) will administer the grant program.
SAMHSA Administrator Charles G. Curie said, “Access to
Recovery is based on the knowledge that there are many pathways to
recovery from addiction. The promise of this initiative --
founded on a belief in individual choice -- is that it ensures the
availability of a full range of treatment options, including the
transforming power of faith. That was the President’s
intent in creating this program in the first place, and requesting
$600 million over three years in his 2003 State of the Union
address.”
In their applications, grantees delineated a process for screening
and determining appropriate services for the individual
client. Clients will be assessed, given a voucher for
identified services, and provided with a list of appropriate
service providers from which to choose. As described below,
grantees proposed a broad range of innovative approaches and target
populations. The grantees were competitively chosen
from applications from 44 states and 22 tribes and territories.
Grantees include:
California -- Awarded $7.6 million per year for each of
three years for a total of approximately $22.8 million. The
state program will address the most critical treatment need in the
state -- service for substance abusing youth between 12 and 20
years of age. The program will target four cities -- Los
Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco. California
will provide incentives to programs based upon consumer
satisfaction and client outcomes. The program will expand
clinical treatment and recovery support capability to
nontraditional providers, such as faith-based organizations.
Connecticut -- Awarded $7.6 million per year for each
of three years for a total of approximately $22.8 million.
Connecticut’s program will target at-risk, nondependent adult
populations ages 18 and older, who are at increased risk of
continued substance use or abuse, as well as adults with substance
use disorders. The program will emphasize populations
documented to have significant barriers to access to care, service
use and successful treatment outcomes, such as criminal justice,
adults involved in the child welfare system and racially or
culturally diverse populations. Connecticut will offer a
choice through a provider network that includes a variety of
traditional and non-traditional providers, including those who are
faith and peer-based.
Florida -- Awarded $6.8 million per year for each of three
years for a total of approximately $20.4 million. Florida
will focus on individuals involved with the criminal justice
system, families putting children at risk, or other high-risk
populations such as persons with co-occurring disorders and
individuals, including older adults, who abuse prescription
drugs. The Florida program involves partnerships with
Florida’s Faith-Based Association, the Florida Alcohol and
Drug Abuse Association, the Southern Coast Addiction Technology
Transfer Center, and the NET Training Institute.
Idaho -- Awarded $7.6 million per year for each of three
years for a total of approximately $22.8 million. The Idaho
program is designed to expand the state’s continuum of
treatment services. It will reach people currently not able
to receive services. The program will provide the
state’s first opportunity to self-select a provider from a
menu of assessment, clinical treatment and recovery support service
providers. Idaho is involving faith community recovery
advocates, community and tribal health clinics, community and
tribal social services providers and state services in its system.
Illinois -- Awarded $7.6 million per year for each of three
years for a total of approximately $22.8 million. The state
expects to implement a continuum of clinical treatment and recovery
support services for probationers. The program expects to
serve probationers in Cook County as well as in Illinois’
Fifth and Sixth Judicial Circuits and the ten counties immediately
adjacent to them, which is a mixed rural and small urban area in
the eastern part of Central Illinois. Illinois had 47
organizations participate in an Access to Recovery planning
meeting, including a number of faith-based organizations that are
not currently funded by the state.
Louisiana -- Awarded $7.6 million per year for each of three
years for a total of approximately $22.8 million to create an
electronic voucher system to provide clients with a freedom of
choice for clinical treatment and recovery support services.
The initiative will focus on women, women with dependent children
and adolescents. Identified gaps in treatment services will
be closed through collaboration with providers from the public and
private sector, as well as non-profit and faith-based
organizations. “Set Free Indeed,” a faith-based
ministry in Baton Rouge, will provide assistance needed by other
faith-based agencies to implement faith-based practices and become
licensed as providers by the state.
Missouri -- Awarded $7.6 million per year for each of three
years for a total of approximately $22.8 million to implement a
statewide voucher system for adults that affords genuine, free and
independent choice among an increased number of qualified service
providers; provides recovery support services through traditional,
non-traditional and faith-based organizations; expands the existing
managed care system for proper control and monitoring; and measures
outcomes in seven critical domains.
New Jersey -- Awarded approximately $4 million per year for
each of three years for a total of approximately $12.2
million. The program will provide choice and increase
outpatient treatment capacity and expand day programs. The
state expects to assess those on existing waiting lists to
determine appropriate interventions, and provide placements.
The initiative will consist of a network of service providers
inclusive of faith-based programs, licensed substance abuse
treatment programs, recovery ministries, social service agencies,
shelters, legal services, vocational and educational services, and
others.
New Mexico -- Awarded $7.6 million per year for each of
three years for a total of approximately $22.8 million. New
Mexico will increase and enhance clinical treatment and recovery
support services and offer client choice through the implementation
of a voucher system. The new program will enhance the City of
Albuquerque’s existing voucher system and replicate that
system in Santa Fe County, Dona Ana County (Las Cruces) and in Five
Sandoval Indian Pueblos, Inc. Catholic Charities’
statewide Stone Soup Collaborative will lead an effort to increase
the state’s capacity to offer increased choices in recovery
support services through faith-based and community-based
organizations.
Tennessee -- Awarded $5.9 million per year for each of three
years for a total of approximately $17.8 million. The goal of
the Tennessee program is to maintain abstinence by supplying
vouchers for assessment, substance abuse clinical treatment and/or
recovery services. The program will provide client choice
among substance abuse clinical treatment and recovery support
providers while expanding access to service options, including
faith-based options, and increasing the number of state-authorized
substance abuse providers.
Texas -- Awarded $7.6 million per year for each of three
years for a total of approximately $22.8 million. Texas will
focus on access and recovery needs of eligible drug court
offenders. Services available through the Texas voucher
system include assessment, clinical treatment and recovery support
provided through a network of multiple drug courts. Voucher
recipients will be afforded genuine, free and independent choice
among service options, including faith-based organizations.
Washington -- Awarded $7.6 million per year for each of
three years for a total of approximately $22.8 million. The
state plans to utilize its Access to Recovery grant to provide
clinical drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services to
low-income individuals in crisis who are involved with Child
Protective Services, shelters and supported housing, free and low
income medical clinics and community detoxification programs.
The program will offer a full range of treatment services and
increase the number of providers trained and qualified to offer
recovery services, particularly faith-based.
Wisconsin -- Awarded $7.6 million per year for each of three
years for a total of approximately $22.8 million. The
Wisconsin program will expand capacity and enhance
Milwaukee’s current voucher system for people with substance
use disorders. Collaboration with faith-based and community
coalitions will lead to a greatly expanded choice of providers for
clinical treatment and recovery support services, and the ability
to monitor the system for effectiveness.
Wyoming -- Awarded $978,000 per year for each of three
years for a total of approximately $2.9 million. This program will
expand treatment capacity for adolescents and their families;
improve accountability in service delivery; and create an
integrated clinical treatment and recovery support services
system. The adolescents targeted will be those involved with
the criminal justice system. The state is establishing
mechanisms for allowing participation by previously ineligible
providers, particularly community-based and faith-based providers.
California Rural Indian Health Board -- Awarded $5.7 million
per year for each of three years for a total of approximately $17.1
million. This coalition of California tribes, tribal and
urban Indian health professionals, and substance abuse clinical
treatment and recovery support service providers is seeking to
provide every American Indian or Alaska Native in California with a
substance abuse problem access to treatment opportunities that will
foster recovery. The program will allow patients to select
among Indian and non-Indian providers of services; traditional
native spiritual and mainstream faith-based services; restrictive
or non-restrictive environments; and discrete or wrap-around
services.