Thursday, 30 September 2010 00:00 Written by Superadmin

Restored Funding For Residential Treatment

A BIG Thank-You to Representatives Gary McDowell (D), and Senator Jason Allen (R), and Senator Alan Cropsey (R) for being part of a conference committee that completely restored State Disability Assistance monies in the State of Michigan. This funding pays a room and board fee to Residential Providers of Substance Abuse Treatment services throughout the state. Community Corrections has paid a legislatively capped Probation Residential Service, (PRS) rate of $47.50 per day for long-term residential substance abuse treatment . This amount is not sufficient to pay the entire costs associated with treating Substance Use Disorders in residential treatment. Thus, $27.00 for room and board, combined with $7.00 daily for food stamps, helps to subsidize treatment costs.

All three of these State Leaders have taken the time to come to Harbor Hall and see what services we provide. Knowing how busy these people are, I find this kind of leadership to be refreshing and responsible; especially since resources are hard to come by in the past decade in the State of Michigan. With an ever reduced amount of jobs and, thereby shrinking revenue, our representatives have to make sure that programs provide quality services and, save the State money in the process. We can definitely show that our programs reduce the amount of time children spend in foster care. They also help with family reunification, cost society less in the form of lost production, less absenteeism, reduced incarceration and, lowered health care costs.

Unfortunately, all three of these gentlemen are term limited out this year so, we will not experience the fruits of their wisdom after this election. We wish them nothing but good luck and good fortune in whatever their futures hold for them.

If you do see them, say hello from us and, thank them for ensuring our ability to continue providing quality and valued substance disorder treatment services.

Tuesday, 09 March 2010 18:14 Written by Terry Newton

Loss of Services from Budget Cuts in Michigan

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University just wrote a report called; "Behind Bars II: Substance Abuse and America's Prison Population." It states that 65 percent of all U.S. inmates meet medical criteria for substance abuse addiction and that only 11 percent receive any treatment. Drugs and alcohol are implicated in 78 percent of violent crimes, 83 percent of property crimes, 77 percent of weapon, public order, other crimes.
In Michigan we rank near the bottom in how we prevent and treat substance use disorders. Among all states, Michigan ranks 40th lowest of all 50 states in state spending per capita for substance abuse prevention and treatment. Among all states, Michigan ranks 32nd lowest of all 50 states in total spending (including federal and local) per capita. The inflation adjusted value of the federal Substance Abuse Prevention & Treatment Grant funds (SAPT) decreased by $12.6 million between fiscal years 1999 and 2010.
* 744,000 Michigan residents are estimated to meet clinical criteria for substance use disorder treatment services, but have not received those services in the last year.
* Of those Michigan residents, 47,000 (6.3%) are estimated to feel that they are in need of substance use disorder treatment services.
* Of those, 30,000 (67%) are estimated to be eligible for, and would access services from, state funded programs.
In spite of favorable research which shows that treatment works, the state of Michigan continues to cut substance use disorder treatment services from their budget. Since FY09 General Fund support for substance abuse programs including the SDA (State Disability Assistance) room and board allotment have been reduced from $19.9 million to $12.1 million a loss of $7.8 million dollars.
Our highest paid counselors in residential treatment make $34,500 with 20 years of experience and a Master's Degree. This is what an entry level teacher would make with a Bachelor's Degree and is barely a living wage.
The problem with this strategy is that untreated substance use disorders leads to many social consequences including lost wages and productivity, child abuse and neglect, judicial involvement, an increase in property crimes and violent crime, local increases in emergency room visits which amounts to uncompensated care, local arrests leading to local incarceration and a drain on local resources, increase on state incarceration rates when the costs are unsustainable, etc.
Isn't it time that the stigma of substance use disorders is recognized for what it is; a drain on financial resources in our state when we can least afford it?

Tuesday, 05 January 2010 22:20 Written by Terry Newton

Letter From The Director  2009

As I reflect on this past year I see one of great challenge for the State of Michigan yet hope for a bright future. It is only by working together that we can achieve great things and effectively steer Michigan to a path of recovery. The survivability of programs like Harbor Hall and the many other non-profit organizations that treat social concerns depends on a healthy economy. Without programs like ours, addiction is dealt with in a costlier fashion, such as jails, prisons, emergency rooms along with secondary expenses of lost productivity, broken homes, highway deaths and other social problems.

I am reminded of working together on a daily basis by our volunteer board of directors and the dedicated staff who work hard to help us fulfill our mission. I am also reminded of this by my involvement in Rotary and the many coalitions I serve on to help eliminate the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs by our local youth. Many fine local people serve in these different organizations to help make our community and the world at large a better place to live in.

Because of reductions in state revenue Harbor Hall has had to rely even greater on contributions from corporate sponsors, individuals and their families. As we approach nearly forty years of operation our mission is as vital today as it’s ever been.

Harbor Hall continues to be involved with others in the field to shape the way we treat addiction. From the Minnesota Model to the move towards Recovery Oriented Systems of Care, we continue to strive for new and better methods of treatment. May we never forget that we work with people first and foremost? These people come to us as individuals that are vulnerable, yet resilient and enmeshed with their own strengths.

I am humbled by the mission that we strive to achieve daily at Harbor Hall. Our mission is to educate the public at large about the devastating effects of alcoholism and chemical dependency and, to provide cost effective treatment to the addicted person still suffering, along with their families.

I have had the good fortune to have worked at some of the finest treatment centers in the country such as The Betty Ford Center and Hazelden. The disease we share does not discriminate in regards to age, gender, social status, education, financial position, etc. However, I look at the price of treatment today and wonder how people can afford to participate in getting themselves well. Programs costing $14,000 per month and above are out of the scope of average Americans who are also afflicted by this disease. At Harbor Hall we strive to provide the best treatment for the disease of addiction at a cost that is affordable.

Recent reports by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration conclude:

Too often, addiction goes untreated: According to SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 23.2 million persons (9.4 percent of the U.S. population) aged 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem in 2007. Of these individuals, 2.4 million (10.4 percent of those who needed treatment) received treatment at a specialty facility (i.e., hospital, drug or alcohol rehabilitation or mental health center). Thus, 20.8 million persons (8.4 percent of the population aged 12 or older) needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem but did not receive it. These estimates are similar to those in previous years.

They also give testimony on what constitutes the Principles of Effective Substance Abuse Treatment:

Scientific research since the mid–1970s shows that treatment can help patients addicted to drugs stop using, avoid relapse, and successfully recover their lives. Based on this research, key principles have emerged that should form the basis of any effective treatment programs:

• Addiction is a complex but treatable disease that affects brain function and behavior.
• No single treatment is appropriate for everyone.
• Treatment needs to be readily available.
• Effective treatment attends to multiple needs of the individual, not just his or her drug abuse.
• Remaining in treatment for an adequate period of time is critical.
• Counseling—individual and/or group—and other behavioral therapies are the most commonly used forms of drug abuse treatment.
• Medications are an important element of treatment for many patients, especially when combined with counseling and other behavioral therapies.
• An individual's treatment and services plan must be assessed continually and modified as necessary to ensure that it meets his or her changing needs.
• Many drug–addicted individuals also have other mental disorders.
• Medically assisted detoxification is only the first stage of addiction treatment and by itself does little to change long–term drug abuse.
• Treatment does not need to be voluntary to be effective.
• Drug use during treatment must be monitored continuously, as lapses during treatment do occur.
• Treatment programs should assess patients for the presence of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases as well as provide targeted risk–reduction counseling to help patients modify or change behaviors that place them at risk of contracting or spreading infectious diseases.
• Harbor Hall prides itself in practicing all of these principles in our treatment of addiction. We treat male and female clients from adolescence through senior citizens in our outpatient clinics and adult males in our residential programs.

It has also been proven by research that effective treatment is at least ninety days in scope and intensity.

Harbor Hall provides 60 – 90 days of primary residential treatment for adult males. This treatment is provided at a cost of $8,550 for the full 90 day length of stay. When combined with one of our sober living facilities, at a cost of $425 per month upon completion of residential treatment, the chances of ongoing recovery improve dramatically. The men who graduate from residential treatment can remain at the sober living facility for up to one year or longer, depending upon individual needs. These facilities have been a springboard for many young men who now contribute greatly to the communities they come from. Our outpatient programs also embrace providing cost effective treatment on an individualized basis.

It has been a little over two years since we lost our main benefactor, Leo Desimpel. Life has gone on though his spirit lives on in the great facilities that he helped to create. I know he would be proud of all that we continue to do on behalf of the chemically dependent person that is still out there struggling. He left a lasting legacy and the building that is named after him is a strong testament to the greatness that he achieved on our behalf. We are blessed by having his wife Lois continue to be actively involved in Harbor Hall's Ladies Auxiliary.

In parting I once again want to reiterate how it takes togetherness to beat the disease of addiction. It will continue to take togetherness to get our once great State’s financial condition back up to par with the rest of the country's recovery. It is modeling what we in recovery already know; “Alone we are nothing but, together we can accomplish great things."

Warm Regards For A Blessed New Year,

Terry Newton, Executive Director

Tuesday, 10 November 2009 21:42 Written by Terry Newton

Director's Perspective by Nora Volkow, M.D., NIDA Director (National Institute of Drug Abuse)

Addiction is a chronic disease. Epidemiological evidence clearly shows that while science-based treatments are effective, many patients achieve long-lasting recovery only after years of therapy, often including multiple treatment episodes. Neurobiological research on drugs' effects reinforces the message of chronicity: It shows that repeated drug use causes long-term changes in the way the brain processes information and emotions.

As a chronic disease, addiction responds best to treatment approaches already applied to other chronic conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes. These incorporate patient education and self-care, long-term monitoring with attention to complications, and prompt escalation to higher levels of care when symptoms intensify. Continuity of care is key. Without it, patients are less likely to accumulate the sequential gains that ultimately result in long-term, stable control over their condition.

Accordingly, NIDA is sponsoring a wide range of research to understand and respond to substance abuser's needs at each point of care, from the initial presentation for treatment through all stages of recovery. Our ultimate aim is to develop and promote a full-spectrum of care with powerful initial treatments, long-term followup and support, interventions to stave off relapses, and rapid return to treatment when relapse occurs. Further, we are designing these programs for use by community treatment providers so that they can be implemented there as soon as they become available.

Some established interventions, such as methadone and buprenorphine maintenance, are inherantly suited to the chronic nature of addiction. NIDA investigators have recently demonstrated positive results from several new approaches that build on patients' achievements in initial treatment, including monthly cognitive behavioral therapy booster sessions and telephone-based continuing care. NIDA researchers are also seeking to facilitate the efficient implementation of new treatment protocols and practices and invite feedback from staff implementing these protocols in therapeutic settings.

Many questions must still be answered before we can fully understand and respond to all the implications of addiction over its long, perhaps lifelong, course. Recognizing that addiction is a chronic illness enables us to ask the most important questions and translate the answers into new and improved treatment approaches and interventions.