Pubdate: Fri, 06 Jan 2006
Source: Greensboro News & Record (NC)
Copyright: 2006 Greensboro News & Record, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.news-record.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/173
Author: Margaret Moffett Banks and Eric J.S. Townsend
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)

CONSULTANT CRITICAL OF DRUG AGENCY

Alcohol and Drug Services' treatment program has "serious" issues 
that create a "uniquely troubling situation," according to a 
consultant hired to evaluate the county's substance abuse services.

Those problems include empty beds -- even though the consultant says 
ADS isn't serving the number of addicts mandated in its contracts.

The report was commissioned by the Guilford County Substance Abuse 
Coalition, a collection of citizens and 43 organizations associated 
with alcohol and drug treatment. It followed a News & Record series 
in November 2004 detailing Guilford County's 20-year battle with crack cocaine.

Officials estimate tens of millions of dollars are spent each year 
battling the drug's devastating effects. No concrete dollar figure exists.

On Thursday, ADS Executive Director Charles Fortune called parts of 
the report "wildly inaccurate," though he said the facility is only 
50 percent to 60 percent full.

"He has a lot of personal opinions written into that that are not 
based on solid information," Fortune said of the consultant's report.

ADS is a High Point-based alcohol and drug abuse treatment agency, 
both inpatient and outpatient, where many low-income addicts first 
turn for help. In 2004, ADS provided detoxification to 1,223 people 
and served 768 people in its residential treatment program. The 
inpatient service has 55 beds.

Consultant Jim Van Hecke, who is president of the Tryon-based 
Addiction Recovery Institute, said in his report that ADS is a "state 
of the art treatment facility." But he also identified problems with 
its program.

"Its size and relationship to the county make it a uniquely troubling 
situation," according to Van Hecke's report. "Whereas other service 
providers have issues, none are as serious as the issues presented by 
this program."

He cited the empty beds at ADS, along with "issues around acceptance 
of and compliance with mandated mental health reforms."

Van Hecke said in his report that the county -- not just ADS -- was 
serving less than 40 percent of adult substance abusers.

He also wrote that people he interviewed with long-term ties to ADS 
felt the agency had "abandoned its original mission of providing 
12-step treatment."

County commissioners allocated $5,000 for Van Hecke's report. He 
declined to elaborate Thursday on his findings when reached by telephone.

His report, commissioned early last year, was submitted in draft form 
to the coalition in August. Two months later, Van Hecke produced a 
revised version that said ADS had made some improvements.

On Jan. 19, the coalition will present county commissioners with its 
own report on local substance abuse services, which may include parts 
of Van Hecke's findings.

George Coates, the coalition's executive director, declined to 
comment on Van Hecke's report. He also declined to reveal whether the 
problems Van Hecke identified at ADS will be included in the 
coalition's final report.

Guilford County awards contracts for substance abuse services through 
the Guilford Center, the county's department of mental health and 
substance abuse.

As of July 1, the start of the county's fiscal year, the Guilford 
Center had eight contracts with ADS worth about $1.7 million in 
federal, state and county money, said Tana Wirtz, the center's 
contracts manager.

About $287,000 came from Guilford County, she said.

Fortune criticized Van Hecke's findings on the unused beds, saying 
Van Hecke "makes is appear ADS is responsible for the utilization."

"The utilization rates are determined solely by the funding, " he said.

Fortune said the Guilford Center, not ADS, controls funding. Fortune 
also said Van Hecke is biased in favor of 12-step programs.

"(Van Hecke) likes 12-step programs, and when you have people in 
treatment for three days for detoxification, it's hard to do," he 
said. "He may favor that, but it's a bias he has. It does not mean 
people are not receiving the detox program they need."

ADS had assets of more than $3 million during the 2003-04 fiscal 
year, according to tax records. Fortune earned nearly $98,000 that 
year, the tax records show.

Staff writer Nate DeGraff contributed to this report.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman