NCJ Number
217417
Journal
American Journal of Public Health Volume: 96 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2006 Pages: 1469-1477
Date Published
August 2006
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Drawing on national data from 1997 through 2002, this study analyzed recent trends in organizational and financial arrangements for substance abuse treatment services for American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Abstract
Results indicated that in 1997, American Indians and Alaska Natives were served by numerous public sector treatment agencies as well as those operated by tribes or the Indian Health Service (IHS). During 2002, approximately two-thirds of American Indian and Alaska Natives admissions were to programs operated in urban areas. The majority of American Indians or Alaska Natives (approximately 22,956) were estimated to be receiving services in facilities other than those operated by tribal governments or the IHS during the study period. Programs run by tribal governments or the IHS had significantly lower revenues than programs run by nationally representative agencies, although IHS expenditures were roughly what would be expected based on national estimates. The use of Medicaid should be considered in order to expand the number of American Indians and Alaska Natives served by IHS-affiliated programs. Data on the organizational and financial arrangements for substance abuse treatment services for American Indians and Alaska Natives were drawn from the IHS, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation, and the U.S. Census Bureau for the years 1997 through 2002. Future research should focus on evaluating outcomes for substance abuse prevention programming targeting American Indians and Alaska Natives. Tables, references