Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities: New Data
A new SAMHSA survey is available on the characteristics and locations of facilities providing alcohol and drug abuse treatment services around the Nation.
The report, National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS): 2008, Data on Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities, presents findings from the 2008 N-SSATS, an annual survey of public and private facilities providing substance abuse treatment.
N-SSATS collects data on the location, characteristics, and use of alcohol and drug abuse treatment services throughout the United States and its territories. Most of the 212-page report comprises useful tables.
Specifically, the survey offers a snapshot of the substance abuse treatment delivery system, helps SAMHSA and state and local governments assess the type and level of services provided in treatment facilities, and provides information on how widely facilities and programs are used.
A total of 14,423 facilities completed the survey, with a response rate of 94.1 percent. The 13,688 facilities eligible for this report had a 1-day census of nearly 1.2 million clients enrolled in substance abuse treatment on March 31, 2008.
Facilities operated by private, nonprofit organizations made up the bulk of treatment facilities (58 percent). Private, for-profit facilities accounted for 29 percent, and the remaining facilities were operated by local governments (6 percent), state governments (3 percent), the Federal Government (2 percent), and tribal governments (1 percent).
The total number of substance abuse treatment facilities remained relatively constant between 2004 and 2008 (13,454 to 13,688), while the number of people in treatment increased slightly (from 1,072,251 to 1,192,490).
The proportion of clients in treatment for three broad categories of substance abuse problems—both alcohol and drug abuse, drug abuse only, and alcohol abuse only—changed very little between 2004 and 2008. Clients in treatment for both alcohol and drug abuse made up 45 to 46 percent of all clients. Clients in treatment for drug abuse only made up 34 to 36 percent, and those in treatment for alcohol abuse only made up 18 to 20 percent.
Thirty-nine percent of all clients in treatment had diagnosed co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders.
Clients under age 18 made up slightly more than 7 percent of all clients in treatment at the time of the survey.
Download National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS): 2008, Data on Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities.
The report also may be ordered by calling SAMHSA’s Health Information Network at 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727). Request publication number SMA09-4451.