ADDICTION SERVICES TO WIDEN CLIENT BASE

Grant will target women and teenagers.

August 28, 2004 Getting the most bang for public bucks, Louisiana will be
able to expand its reach in addiction treatment through a new federal grant
paying out $22.8 million over three years.

The program recognizes there are many paths to recovery and offers wider
choice for individuals through an electronic voucher system. That choice --
and a note of caution is in order -- includes religious as well as secular
organizations licensed by the state as service providers.

The program is part of President Bush's initiative to embrace faith-based
solutions to social problems. While the "transforming power of faith" may
indeed be effective, the state must tread lightly here and assure any
faith-based agencies it licenses protect the religious freedom of its
clients.

Substance abuse is a root cause of many problems, including juvenile crime,
child abuse, domestic violence and joblessness. But with its existing
budget, the state's Office of Addictive Disorders only reaches about 8
percent of those needing its services. The proportion is even less -- about
4.5 percent -- among teenagers.

Nearly 33,000 people received state services last year, but the waiting list
for 24-hour care any given day was about 900 to 1,000 people.

The national Access to Recovery grant will enable the state to help about
2,000 more Louisiana residents a year. The target groups include
adolescents, pregnant women and women with dependent children.

It was a smart move for Louisiana to compete for the grant -- only 15 were
awarded from 66 applications -- and to pursue a cost-effective,
interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving. Providing more
substance-abuse services has been identified as a key step in both juvenile
justice reform and health-care reform. Early intervention could keep many
young people out of trouble and out of juvenile detention.

According to one estimate, every dollar spent on addiction treatment saves
taxpayers as much as $5.19 in future costs for law enforcement,
incarceration and medical care.

The program will roll out initially in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport
and Alexandria.