Substance Abuse Treatment In Baltimore Maryland:

Substance Abuse Treatment in Baltimore Maryland:

The National Institute on Drug Abuse compiled a list of 13 factors which contribute to the success of drug treatment. Two factors in NIDA’s 1999 Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment stand out for assessing the performance of a treatment system as a whole:  “treatment needs to be readily available,” and “effective treatment attends to multiple needs of the individual, not just his or her drug use.” Once a person has decided on treatment, there should be treatment available to them. If there is no availability of treatment, naturally the addiction will continue. Success also depends on the level of treatment provided. When comprehensive services are available such as counseling, medication, as well as wrap around care such as health care, education and employment and housing assistance, the outcomes are much better than without.

Substance abuse treatment in Baltimore Maryland seeks to meet all of the needs of the drug and alcohol abuser to best assure the outcome of their treatment. People addicted to drugs are often uncertain about entering treatment.  More than half of applicants on treatment waiting lists are less interested in entering treatment at the end of the waiting period than when they first enlisted according to the Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

Success also depends on whether the addict is aligned with services that best meet his or her needs. There are times when clients are not matched properly with the services they need most. Baltimore’s publicly-funded programs use two instruments designed for this purpose—the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) and the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s Patient Placement Criteria (ASAM-PPC-2). The second step in matching is making sure all services are available to the addict. If services are offered and are in place, it increases the likelihood that the drug addict will see the benefit of obtaining treatment.

At times, finding the right programs isn’t always apparent. Many drug addicts also have psychiatric symptoms which occur at the same time as the drug addiction. Both of these issues would have to be addressed before treatment could be successful. Wrap-around services are rarely offered in public treatment settings.

Pilot programs were established in three sites in Baltimore. They include Nurse Practitioners who provide medical services such as HIV screening, physical examinations and family planning information. The pilot programs will also include psychiatric assessments to the patients at these sites. Success in treating addictions and other mental health problems will require that the responsible entities be adequately funded and well managed. Vocational assessment and community outreach programs that address issues such as housing would also be available in the pilot programs.

Treatment center outcomes are being monitored and studied to find the effectiveness of the programs and to establish better ways of providing addiction treatment in Baltimore Maryland. They are among the leaders in proactive treatment and governing concerning drug and alcohol treatment in the country. Their aim is to provide treatment that is not only temporary but more addresses the permanent issues that coincide with drug and alcohol addiction. HYPERLINK “http://www.drugstrategies.org/Baltimore/BaltCh_6.html” l “_edn28” o “”