Pubdate: Sat, 20 Jun 2009
Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press (MN)
Copyright: 2009 St. Paul Pioneer Press
Contact:  http://www.twincities.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/379
Author: Brady Gervais

ANOKA COUNTY METH TREATMENT PROGRAM GETS FUNDING TO REMAIN OPEN

County Comes Up With Cash To Keep Treatment Going

Wendy King hit rock bottom last June. She had relapsed on
methamphetamine after being clean for two years.  Dejected, she tried
to take her life.

A threatened Anoka County treatment program, which she  credits with
saving her life, got a reprieve itself  this month when county leaders
decided to keep it  going.

"To think where I was a year ago, living in a hospital  not knowing
whether I would live or die," the mother of  two said.

"And now, I have it going on."

The county's Enhanced Treatment Program -- which helps  mothers hooked
on meth get sober and regain custody of  their children -- will stay
afloat, even as state  dollars run out this month. Anoka County dipped
into  its coffers to keep the program running through  December.

"We saw this program as a way to give some of those  moms a second
chance and give those kids a second  chance," said Anoka County
Commissioner Rhonda  Sivarajah, who oversees the Human Services Committee.

The treatment program was created three years ago with  a state grant
to help mothers addicted to meth win back  their lives. The goal is to
help them find jobs and  provide the parenting skills they need.

Women are referred to the program through the  criminal-justice or
child-protection systems.

Thirty-eight women have completed the program since its  inception,
and two more are expected to graduate soon,  said its supervisor,
Darcy Holter. There are 15 women  enrolled in the program, which
temporarily stopped  taking new referrals this spring when there was
doubt over whether  it would continue.

The program was started as Anoka County looked for new  ways to treat
addictions. A state grant helped cover  the cost, which in 2008 was
nearly $287,000.

Women in the program are required to attend three group  sessions a
week, submit to two or three random urine  drug tests a week, and
attend educational and sober  social events. Each woman gets a
personalized plan.  Outside support group meetings are required. Over
time,  they build a support network, make sober friends and  learn
healthy lifestyles.

Social workers laud the program's 60 percent success  rate, noting the
difficulties of shedding the meth  habit.

This winter, county officials began making preparations  to end the
program. But the Anoka County board approved  spending $166,000 to
continue it until the end of the  year, said Jerry Soma, county health
and human services  division manager. The county's proposed 2010
budget  also includes money for the program.

There's no guarantee, though, Soma said. Gov. Tim  Pawlenty announced
last week about $5 million in  reduced county program aid between this
year and next.  The county already lost $2.1 million in December.

Worried about losing the program, Anoka County judges  asked what
could be done to help save it. The county  board considered the
judges' concerns and decided to  cover the program's costs, Soma said.

"The program is an absolute lifesaver for these women,"  said Anoka
County District Judge Jenny Walker Jasper, a  self-described
cheerleader for the effort. "There's  something about the ability for
women to make  meaningful changes in their lives."

This week, the judge received a report about a mother  referred to the
program. The mother lost custody of her  child and for a time could
have only supervised visits,  she said. Now, the mother gets overnight
stays.

"She's really getting her life straightened out,"  Walker Jasper said.
"And I would have written her off  -- no question about it."

The example is not unique.

Since entering the treatment program last summer, King,  43, has
returned to cosmetology school to renew her  license and obtained
rental housing, she said.

Her child-protection case successfully closed in March,  she said. And
she marked one year of sobriety this past  week.

If all goes well, she will graduate from the program at  the end of
August.

Without it, King said, "I think I would probably be  dead."
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MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr