SAMHSA 2003 Press Releases


	Programs

	Access to Recovery How It Will Work

	Background: The Nation’s substance abuse treatment system is shaped, supported, and maintained by the States. These services are funded primarily through state revenues and Federal programs, including SAMHSA’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant and Targeted Capacity Expansion (TCE) grants, and Medicaid dollars. While these resources continue to help millions of Americans obtain and sustain recovery from addiction, too many people who seek help are unable to find care. By providing those individuals with vouchers to pay for the care they need, *Access to Recovery* will foster consumer choice, improve service quality, and increase treatment capacity. Vouchers, along with other State-operated programs, provide an unparalleled opportunity to create profound change in substance abuse treatment financing and service delivery in America, change that both will reduce human suffering and save countless dollars in lost productivity. Competitive Grant Program: An *Access to Recovery* workgroup is developing a Request for Applications (RFA) with input from a broad array of stakeholders in the field, among them service providers, States, and technical experts. The workgroup is examining potential standards for participating states, performance measures, service cost ranges, and assessment and placement instruments. An Executive Steering Committee with White House and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) leadership is providing overall policy guidance. The RFA will be issued after funds are appropriated by Congress. Governors’ offices will be eligible to apply because Governors are key to assuring a coordinated approach among various State departments that come into contact with people with addictive disorders: state drug and alcohol authorities; mental health authorities; departments of education, child welfare, Medicaid, and criminal justice agencies. States Will Have Flexibility. Governors applying for Access to Recovery funds will have considerable discretion in the design and focus of the model they select. They may choose to implement the program through a State or sub-State agency, or may implement some or all of the program in partnership with a private entity. States may target the program to areas of greatest need, to areas with a high degree of readiness to implement such an effort, or to specific populations, including adolescents. Grant applications must delineate a process for screening, assessment, referral, and placement for treatment appropriate for the individual client. Clients will be assessed wherever they present, will be given a voucher for identified services, and will be referred to appropriate service providers. Grant applications will be expected to detail how the provider base will be expanded and how a broad array of provider organizations will become eligible for voucher reimbursement. Critically, Access to Recovery funds will be required to supplement, not supplant, current funding, thus expanding both capacity and available services. Applications Must Be Results-Oriented. In both program design and implementation, State grant applications must delineate a process to monitor outcomes, among them: drug or alcohol use, involvement with the criminal justice system, employment, social support, living situation, access to care, and program retention. These performance data will be used to measure not only treatment success but also the ultimate success of the voucher program itself. Successful State applicants will establish: Need based on data on rates of abuse and dependence Documentation of the most feasible approaches consistent with the voucher program’s guiding principles Eligibility criteria for providers Eligibility criteria for clients Criteria for matching clients with appropriate treatment and support services Standard costs/reimbursement for treatment modalities Effective approaches to address those with special needs (e.g., homeless populations, co-occurring populations, persons living in rural areas) For more information contact SAMHSA’s Office of Communications: Phone (301) 443-8956.



	The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the lead federal agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment and mental health services in the United States. Information on SAMHSA's programs is available on this website, www.samhsa.gov.