Advocates: More substance abuse treatment needed

HUNTINGTON -- Huntington resident James Layne started drinking when he was 13 years old. After battling alcohol and crack cocaine addiction for many years, the 40-year-old finally found the program he thought would help him.

But it was three hours away in Dayton, Ohio.

While a number of outpatient services exist in Cabell County, Layne said he needed more than a 28-day treatment program. He was told applying to such a program would mean a six- to nine-month wait, unless court ordered.

"That really didn't make any sense. I go out here and do a crime and I can go to rehab, but somebody wanting to change their life, you're just out of luck," he said.

Lawmakers and treatment advocates say more drug and alcohol treatment services, including long-term services, are needed locally and statewide.

"There are more than 40,000 addicted substance abusers in West Virginia who are untreated," said Delegate Don Perdue, D-Wayne, and chairman of the House of Delegates Health and Human Resources Committee.

While thousands may seek help, only about 275 beds are available in the state for long-term substance abuse treatment, Perdue said. He said existing detox and day report centers are helpful, but more long-term help is needed.

Debby Hibbard, a local recovery advocate, thought she misheard when she was first told the number of treatment beds in the state.

"There are absolutely not enough treatment options in our area or in the entire state, in every capacity," she said.

She said treatment is overlooked because no one wants to deal with addicts.

Prestera Center offers a variety of long-term treatment services, considering funds for long-term treatment are stagnant, said Genise Lalos, addictions services director at Prestera.

Lalos said long-term care is expensive, and Prestera hasn't received any increase in state or federal funding for years. However, she said residential services aren't necessary for most addicts.

Prestera's services include almost 100 treatment beds in various locations of the Huntington-Charleston area. The center's outpatient program focuses on pre-treatment needs, addiction, recovery needs, relapse prevention and the 12-step recovery process.

Lalos said Prestera clients receive long-term care as they move through a variety of services, like detox, counseling, and short-term or long-term residual placement when needed, she said.

"Research shows the longer you engage an individual in recovery and treatment, the higher the success rate," said Bob Hansen, executive director of Prestera Center.

Lindsay Thorp, pastor at United Methodist Church in Kenova, said drug and alcohol addiction continues to demand attention in the state.

"I think the need's pretty evident," he said.

Lalos estimated 80 new people come into Prestera each month to begin services.

Hansen said Prestera has dealt with waiting lists for its residential programs for a long time, but the center began providing quicker access to other services in the last year.

For example, he said an alcoholic who goes to Prestera for the first time will be assessed within 24 hours. That person can then begin some type of treatment, whether individual or group therapy or another service, and move through the recovery process.

"It's true there's no beds, but we are at least helping these people now," he said.

Layne had been in and out of area inpatient and outpatient centers before being accepted at the nearest Salvation Army-operated adult rehabilitation center in Dayton, Ohio. He graduated from the six-month program in March.

Layne said he decided to make the trip to Dayton because there was no spiritually-based, long-term treatment program in Huntington.

"That's what I needed," he said.

He said more services are crucially needed in Huntington, as substance abuse is a serious issue with wide ramifications locally.

"It's not just a poor person's disease. It affects every part of society," he said. "And addiction is more than a crack cocaine epidemic. It's the little old lady going to the doctor getting prescription pills. It's the alcoholic out here in the bars."

Much has been said recently about one possible addition of services -- a planned residential recovery center for substance abusers that would be called The Healing Place. The Huntington center would be modeled after a long-term facility by the same name in Louisville, Ky.

Perdue said the peer-directed, abstinence-based program would address recovery in a meaningful way. The facility likely needs $3 million to $5 million to get started, and $500,000 a year to sustain efforts. It would initially target 100 clients.

Salvation Army Captain Bob Mullins said the Huntington area could probably use something like The Healing Place.

However, he said he has "mixed emotions" about having a local recovery center. He said sometimes sending people away removes them from bad influences.

Mullins estimated 10 people from Huntington have been to the Dayton center in the past year, and three Huntington residents are in the program currently.

River Park Hospital in Huntington also offers substance abuse services, including detox and an adolescent residential treatment program for youth with substance abuse and mental health issues, according to Karen Yost, director of clinical services. Yost said the demand for services is huge.

"We haven't even recognized all the true need. Some people come to our attention and some people don't. I believe a lot of these patients should be treated on an outpatient basis," she said.

Yost said treatment should focus more on treating the substance abuse as well as the mental health issues like depression.

"I don't think there is such a thing as straight substance abuse," she said. "There's some reason people started to use in the first place."

Education is needed too, she said, as many people have a preconceived notion of what an addict looks like, or think that addiction can't be treated.

"We have to get over those stereotypes and those false assumptions about this disorder. We have to really allow people to access services," she said.

Yost said substance abuse costs the nation billions of dollars as many addicts lose their homes, end up in the hospital or jail, and rely on public assistance. She said insurance companies need to recognize these costs.

Gary J. Koontz, program coordinator for the West Virginia DUI safety and treatment program, said there are never enough treatment services. He said substance abuse is evident across the state, from DUI to domestic violence cases.

Still, he said a state as small as West Virginia does excellent work with the amount of resources and qualified staff available. But, more funding is always needed, he said.

Hansen said funding for treatment has not increased in more than a decade.

Perdue said that's because treatment is often neglected in favor of law enforcement.

"We have been so focused on intervening legally. I believe we've sort of forgotten that, in the war on drugs, there are a lot more walking wounded out there than anybody knows. That war has created this huge casualty list, many of whom could be recovered," he said.