Series: Meth: Shattering Lives In Northern Nevada

A three-month Reno Gazette-Journal investigation found that
methamphetamine's grip on the Truckee Meadows has become a stranglehold.

STEP 2 PROGRAM HELPS PREGNANT METH ADDICTS

There is only one place in Washoe County that provides residential
and out-patient services for pregnant, drug-addicted women and mothers.

And 70 percent of the 160 women who went through Reno's Step 2
program last year said methamphetamine was their drug of choice.
About half have at least one child, 30 percent have two children, 12
percent have three and 9 percent have four children.

Nevada's Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse reports that
methamphetamine was the most common drug used by pregnant women
admitted into treatment centers across Nevada. The percentage of
pregnant women in state treatment centers who listed meth as their
primary drug rose from about 47 percent in 2001 to nearly 66 percent in 2005.

BADA has identified these women as a priority population, and
specific funding has been dedicated to their treatment and prevention
efforts. Step 2 is the only treatment agency in Northern Nevada that
was awarded money from BADA to help pregnant drug users. It received
$480,000, compared to WestCare Nevada in Clark County that received
$500,000 and Sierra Recovery Center in South Lake Tahoe that was
awarded $68,000.

"Our focus is on moms and pregnant women," said Becky Contos, the
marketing director for the Step 2 program. "We want to give that
infant the opportunity to be born clean."

But, like most treatment options in Washoe County, Step 2, a private
non-profit organization, has a waiting list. The length varies. Step
2 also has a sliding-fee scale, although women have to be at least 18
to be in the program.

"All treatment providers really only serve 20 percent of the need,"
she said of local waiting lists for drug treatment centers.

Step 2 is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Funding for the
agency is mainly from the state alcohol and drug abuse bureau, but
Contos said support from community agencies and private sources is
vital. The agency also does fund-raisers, such as its popular golf tournament.

Most client referrals are from child protective services and the
criminal justice system, she said. Many of these women have not had
prenatal care.

Contos said the women have to be detoxified of drugs before they
enter the program. Many are impoverished or homeless, and some are
victims of domestic violence. The program lasts from 12 to 18 months.

Step 2 has around two dozen cottages for the women to live in with
their children while they are getting sober.

Jennifer Brenn, chief clinical officer at Step 2, said many women use
meth for energy and to lose weight. Children are often neglected, and
many clients need parenting classes.

"We take women and give them tools and life skills to continue with
their life," Contos said. "We deal with women who are at the stage
where they can't care for their baby. To me, this is all about
raising healthy children where there is an entire different
generation of drug-using households."

Brenn said the meth epidemic touches many layers of the community.

"The biggest impacts are on families," she said, "but it impacts the
welfare system, the Legislature, health care and crime."

The Step 2 clients range from women who have prostituted themselves
for drugs to those arrested for trafficking meth and making meth in labs.

"Meth addicts engage in activities that are normally so against their
value system," Brenn said. "They end up leaving their children in
dangerous situations."

[Sidebar]

How can I enter the STEP 2 program?

Call (775) 787-9411 to schedule an assessment.

Admission priority is given to pregnant women, intravenous drug users
and women with children. Referrals come from the criminal justice
system, treatment providers, social services, emergency shelters,
hospital emergency rooms, providers of indigent health care services,
friends, family and self-referrals.

STEP 2 provides treatment, transitional housing, childcare,
transportation and case management.