The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Leaders seek to improve treatment for drug abuse

The goal is to improve care without adding costs to taxpayers.

Man indicted for pornographic video of an infant
Updated 5 min. ago
Man carrying child killed by train
Updated 14 min. ago
Miami University puts regional director of admission, financial aid on paid leave
4:27 p.m.
Rosemary Clooney musical makes world debut in Dayton
3:34 p.m.
Ohio home sales started year with gains
2:07 p.m.
> More headlines

By Joanne Huist Smith, Staff Writer 8:17 PM Friday, January 27, 2012

More than 40,000 Montgomery County residents need care for alcohol or other drug abuse and community leaders are looking for ways to improve services without adding costs to taxpayers.

About 200 stakeholders in the county’s alcohol and drug abuse delivery system met at Sinclair Community College on Friday to begin moving task force recommendations into action plans.

There’s a misconception that the drug problem is only an inner-city one, according to Dan Foley, a Montgomery County commissioner and co-chair of the advisory team. The problem is widespread, he said.

An estimated 43,390 people aged 12 and older in Montgomery County needed services for alcohol or other drug abuse in 2008, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings. Only 12 percent of those individuals, received assessment services and just 2 percent completed all of their treatment sessions, according to Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board data.

“Our job was to gather all of the public and private entities involved in abuse and addiction service and focus on how we can better deliver services to those who need it in a more cost efficient way,” said Jim Pancoast, CEO of Premier Health Partners and co-chair of the Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Advisory Team.

The Report to Improve Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Addiction Services in Montgomery County outlines ways to re-engineer the community’s alcohol and drug abuse system without adding costs to taxpayers, Foley said.

The report’s most urgent recommendation was the development of a sophisticated electronic system for collecting and exchanging data. It would let agencies track where clients have accessed services in real time.

“We’re looking at how a database like this would be used, if we built one,” Foley said, “We absolutely have to protect people’s privacy, so we’re trying to do this in a thoughtful way.”

Another recommendation getting attention is creation of “sobering centers” to offer alternatives for police, when they pick up people who are intoxicated. Currently, the only options are emergency rooms or jail.

“We can’t afford to tie up two officers waiting at a hospital emergency room,” Assistant Dayton Police Chief Mark Hess said. “We suggest a quick drop off center where the individual can be monitored by a health care professional. They don’t need to go to criminal court. That’s a waste of time and money.”

Several initiatives have already been implemented to help citizens in need of substance abuse services including CrisisCare, the gateway to mental health and addiction services in the county.

Clients can now schedule assessments 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing assessments within 24 business hours of referral, and immediately scheduling an appointment with a provider.

“Our goals are to address gaps in services, systemic barriers and to improve our overall AOD systems and services,” said Helen Jones-Kelley, ADAMHS board executive director. “These recommendations will allow us to provide these critical services to our citizens who are struggling with substance abuse and addiction.”

Share this article