Drug treatment program ownership, Medicaid acceptance, and service provision.

The Institute of Medicine noted that effective substance abuse treatment (SAT) programs integrate individual therapeutic approaches with transitional/ancillary services. In addition, research suggests that type of ownership impacts SAT services offered and that Medicaid plays a key role in SAT access. Data from the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services for the years 2000 and 2002-2006 were used to examine relationships among SAT program Medicaid acceptance, program ownership, and transitional/ancillary service accessibility.

Factors related to Medicaid payment acceptance at outpatient substance abuse treatment programs.

Objective: To examine factors associated with Medicaid acceptance for substance abuse (SA) services by outpatient SA treatment programs.

Data Sources: Secondary analysis of 2003-2006 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services data combined with state Medicaid policy and usage measures and other publicly available data.

Study Design: We used cross-sectional analyses, including state fixed effects, to assess relationships between SA treatment program Medicaid acceptance and (1) program-level factors, (2) county-level sociodemographics and treatment program density, and (3) state-level population characteristics, SA treatment-related factors, and Medicaid policy and usage.

Evidence for Connections Between Prosecutor-Reported Marijuana Case Dispositions and Community Youth Marijuana-Related Attitudes and Behaviors.

This article examines relationships between local drug policy (as represented by prosecutor-reported case outcomes for first-offender juvenile marijuana possession cases) and youth self-reported marijuana use, perceived risk, and disapproval. Interviews with prosecutors and surveys of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students in the United States were conducted in 2000. Analyses include data from 97 prosecutors and students from 127 schools in 40 states.

US Public Health Agency involvement in youth-focused illicit drug policy, planning, and prevention at the local level, 1999-2003.

Objectives: We examined local public health agencies' involvement in community illicit drug policy advocacy and provision related to youths to determine the extent to which public health agencies were involved in local drug policy activities and could potentially provide an infrastructure for policy alternatives.

Methods: We conducted telephone interviews from 1999 to 2003 with 1793 US public health agencies in 804 communities surrounding schools participating in the Monitoring the Future study. Respondents reported public health agency planning, priorities, and involvement in alternative drug policy advocacy and prevention activities.

State policies matter: the case of outpatient drug treatment program practices.

This study examined relationships between state policy requirements governing outpatient substance abuse treatment services and reported outpatient treatment program practices. State policies effective as of February 1, 2003, and February 1, 2004, were collected and analyzed via primary legal research; data were validated by state officials (88% response rate; >90% validation rate). Treatment practice data were obtained from the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services for the years 2003 and 2004.

Does state certification or licensure influence outpatient substance abuse treatment program practices?

In the United States, state governments legally authorize outpatient substance abuse treatment programs. In some states, programs are certified or accredited (ideal standards). Other states license programs (minimal standards).

The role of public health agencies in providing access to adolescent drug treatment services.

Purpose: To examine the role of public health agencies (PHAs) in providing access to drug treatment services for adolescents by describing the proportion of youth who obtain access to these services through PHA involvement in school health clinics, juvenile drug courts, and other community agencies.

Methods: Analysis of cross-sectional telephone interview data collected from 1999-2003 from a national sample of 1793 PHA key informants from communities surrounding schools in the nationally representative Monitoring the Future (MTF) study of 8th, 10th and 12th grade students.

Results: Fifty-eight percent of youth in the MTF sample were served by PHAs that participated in some way in school health clinics, with 30% served by PHAs that provided resources for drug treatment in schools.

Back to basics: the role of health insurance in getting a physical exam.

The social work profession has a long history of advocacy to improve the human condition, especially for groups of people at high risk of discrimination and marginalization. Social workers have been instrumental in identifying, assessing, treating, and preventing illicit drug use as part of this commitment to advocacy. One component of social work's endeavors on behalf of drug users and other populations- at-risk has been advocating for increased access to health care.

"The rock always comes first": drug users' accounts about using formal health care.

Illicit drug use remains a significant public health threat. The issues surrounding drug use are recognized by public health professionals as important for several reasons. The incidence and prevalence of drug use persists in spite of the extensive societal, interpersonal, and individual consequences.