Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 4, 1991 TAG: 9104040219
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In a statement released Wednesday, the council warned of growing problems that have made it more difficult for substance abusers to get prompt and affordable treatment.
Reduced state funding, cutbacks and closings at treatment centers, a lack of facilities for some groups and new insurance restrictions that limit coverage for drug treatment have all contributed to the problem.
"The ingredients for an impending crisis are in place," said the statement, which was endorsed by the council.
Some people seeking drug treatment have been turned away for purely financial reasons and are likely reverting to drug use as the only way out of their predicament, according to Bob Lynn, chairman of the council's treatment committee.
"When they finally make up their mind to get help and make that big step, they're being told that they don't have any more insurance," Lynn said. "It's a huge letdown."
The lack of drug treatment offerings is not limited to the Roanoke Valley, Lynn said. Nor has it appeared overnight. In fact, it was one of the key findings in 1989 by a city task force that led to creation of the council.
But according to the council's statement, recent events have led to a "state of transition" in which drug abusers now face a greater risk of not receiving treatment.
One of the problems is that people who do not have health insurance are falling through the cracks, and ones who do are finding that their insurance no longer covers what it used to.
Medicaid does not pay for substance abuse at all, and Medicare offers limited coverage for people who are 65 or over.
At least one insurance carrier in Roanoke has recently changed its criteria for coverage of inpatient treatment for alcohol and other drug addictions, according to the council's statement.
The new criteria limit coverage for inpatient treatment to people considered a threat to themselves or others, those with a medical problem that requires 24-hour nursing or those who have failed at an outpatient treatment center within the past six months.
"These more restrictive criteria drastically reduce an individual's chance of obtaining inpatient therapy," the statement said.
That means more people will be turning to outpatient treatment facilities, an area where the Roanoke Valley has seen cutbacks in recent months. Roanoke Memorial Hospital has closed its drug and alcohol treatment center, and the Roanoke Valley Psychiatric Center has made cuts in staffing.
Currently in the Roanoke Valley, there are no public-sector facilities for adolescents to receive inpatient treatment. "Even if a young person has insurance coverage or can afford to pay for private treatment, there is only one facility in our area that provides inpatient treatment," the statement said.
Another shortcoming is the lack of a halfway house for men who are recovering drug addicts, the council noted.
The council, which was appointed last year by City Manager Robert Herbert at the suggestion of a drug task force, is trying to increase public awareness of the situation.
Among its suggestions: encouraging businesses to establish more employee-assistance programs, pushing legislators and local elected officials to maintain funding for existing drug-treatment programs, beefing up student-assistance programs, and supporting public-private ventures, such as a proposed home for recovering drug addicts being promoted by Mental Health Services.
"Until the public gets involved, it's not going to happen," Lynn said.
by CNB