BILL ON TREATING ADDICTS ADVANCES

Involuntary Commitment Would Be Option

OLYMPIA -- Chronic alcoholics and drug addicts who refuse help can be
forced into treatment, the Legislature decided Wednesday, and it might even
save taxpayers money.

Under current law, substance abusers can only be involuntarily committed
for treatment if they're homicidal or suicidal. That would change under
Senate Bill 5051, sponsored by Sen. Jeanine Long, R-Mill Creek, which the
Senate agreed to last month and the House passed Wednesday.

If Gov. Gary Locke signs the bill into law, "they don't have to try to kill
themselves while they're drinking in order to commit them," said Mike
Elsner with the King County Mental Health, Chemical Abuse and Dependency
Services Division.

"The idea is that if we get appropriate treatment, we'll save lives," said
Dr. Joseph Barrett, a psychiatrist who deals with substance abusers at
Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. He testified at a public hearing in
support of Long's bill.

"The other thing is, they're a huge user of resources," Barrett said in an
interview Wednesday. "Usually these people are indigent, and they're on
Medicaid, and the state ends up picking up the bill."

King County discovered that it had spent almost $1.5 million in 1999 alone
on just 36 alcoholics and drug addicts in the county, for recurrent use of
services such as ambulances, hospitals, police and courts, said Patrick
Vanzo with the county's Department of Community and Human Services. Two
months of substance abuse treatment at a state facility for those 36 would
have cost about $275,000.

And the problem isn't limited to Snohomish County's neighbor, said Dr. Bill
Dickinson, medical director of behavior health services at Providence
Medical Center in Everett.

"We're busy all the time" assessing substance abusers' needs and treatment
options, Dickinson said.

Most alcoholics or drug addicts who are brought in to Snohomish County
hospitals have insurance, he said, but some don't, and even those who do
often refuse treatment.

"Ultimately, it comes down to are we willing to step in when someone's
destroying themselves and say they're not in their right mind, so we should
try to stop them," Dickinson said. "It's not really their choice. The drugs
are making their choice for them."

If people are drunk or high on drugs in public places, officials can take
them into protective custody for up to three days. During that time,
they're evaluated, and if they're considered a threat to themselves or
others they can be sent to treatment for up to two months, and then an
additional three months if a judge approves.

Long's bill expands the involuntary commitment to apply to substance
abusers who are considered gravely disabled. Families could also intervene
and commit alcoholic or drug-dependent family members. Numerous state and
local government officials praised the measure, but public defenders
weren't as enthusiastic.

"This system is already under pressure," said Christie Hedman with the
Washington Defender Association. "There aren't even enough beds for people
who voluntarily want the treatment."

Most counties, including Snohomish, have voluntary treatment facilities,
but there's only one place in the state for people who don't want help:
Pioneer Center North, which is a 115-bed, fenced-in center in Sedro-Woolley
for chronic substance abusers.

There's usually a waiting list there, Elsner said, so a $3.2 million plan
in the Senate's proposed state budget for a 35-bed center in Eastern
Washington and an extra $2.8 million for the statewide substance abuse
program would take the pressure off Pioneer. That budget is pending House
approval.

"I see this having a positive impact on the people who need the treatment,"
Long said. "Very often, they refuse to go, and they recycle through our
hospitals, jails, detox centers, and sometimes they end up in our prisons.
So it can be a big cost to taxpayers.

"If we can stop that recycling, $2.8 million is a good investment," she
added. "Addicts get to the point where they're not employable, and then you
and I pay for their care completely."

Cammy Hart-Anderson with the Snohomish County Department of Human Services
said the bill is a great start in helping substance abusers, but there's no
money to pay for county health professionals to perform the commitment process.

"It's nice that the bill will allow us increased flexibility, but given the
limited funding, I don't see any immediate significant changes," she said.

Hedman's group has other problems with the bill, so she said she's writing
a veto request letter to the governor, asking that the issue be studied
further. Locke has five days to act on the measure, which would go into
effect this summer. He hadn't yet reviewed it Wednesday.