DETOX UNIT MERGED NEAR HEIGHT OF PROBLEM

Transition Went 'Smoothly' At Porter Hospital

VALPARAISO -- Near a time of heightened hospital traffic -- heroin
users admitted at Porter hospital jumped 130 percent between 2002 to
2004, according to one study -- Porter decided to consolidate its detox unit.

In February of last year, detox services were merged into the
hospital's fourth-floor medical surgical services unit. The move,
criticized by some and supported by others, was made, in part, in an
effort to be more cost-effective. "From our perspective, it went
smoothly," said spokeswoman Robin Carlascio. "When it was isolated,
segregated by itself, sometimes you'd have one or two patients, and
you'd still need to fully staff it."

The result was a costly operation where administrators felt resources
might not have been properly utilized, Carlascio said.

"Detox is not the kind of service that pays for itself," she added.

Concerns originally arose over whether the privacy of patients
undergoing detox would be compromised. It's now arguably just as
likely for a recovering addict to undergo detox down the hall from
another addict as someone just out of gal bladder surgery.

Carlascio said the hospital primarily provides semi-private rooms,
but can place patients in dual-bed rooms and attempt to leave one bed empty.

The volume of patients tends to "ebb and flow," and the merger has
not resulted in fewer available beds, Carlascio added.

She said the transition was more a merging of staffs than necessarily
services, and that the number of staff members can fluctuate at any given time.

"(The staff) seem to like the idea that there's a variety in the
patients," she added.

At emergency room admission, Porter assesses whether patients'
problems are severe enough to be admitted, focusing on alcohol and
opiate withdrawals, typically the most difficult dependencies from
which to cut loose, said Carmen Arlt, director of chemical dependency
and addiction at Porter-Starke Services, Inc.

Porter-Starke, which Arlt said helps staff Porter's detox unit, often
provides medication or support for patients who are not admitted to
the hospital. If for some reason Arlt cannot help, she has a "huge
directory of resources."

"If we can't help them, we definitely know someone who can," she said.