INTEGRATION KEY TO DRUG RECOVERY

In the past few months, we have introduced our Anti-Drug Teams who
have been working vigilantly since responding to the call of the late
Mayor Bryan Baptiste in 2003. These teams help in identifying and
solving Kaua'i's drug problem.

The final team of our four-pronged approach is Integration. The
Integration team is co-chaired by Rebecca Reid of Ke Ala Hoku and
Bradley Chiba of the Department of Public Safety Intake Service Center.

Successful integration includes job training, job placement, housing,
transportation, medical and mental health assistance, family,
individual and group counseling, as well as recovery groups. This is
one of the most important components of recovery. Some participating
agencies are:

Women in Need's (WIN) Bridge II Success Transitional House. WIN offers
two transitional living houses, one for women with children and one
for single women. While living at the WIN house, the women are
required to attend an individual counseling session with their case
manager, a mandatory house meeting, and strongly encouraged to attend
at least four AA/NA meetings weekly.

Helping them to build a clean and sober network of support is a
primary goal and a necessity to their well-being. To obtain vital
documents, seek and maintain employment, furthering of education,
reconcile old debts, apply for assistance with permanent housing and
attend classes that would assist them in becoming more productive and
self sufficient in their community and daily lives. Women with
children are also encouraged to take parenting classes to better equip
and ensure quality care for their families. WIN offers a variety of
courses for building self worth in a classroom environment which
includes parenting and life skills, and an Alternative to Violence
Class that is recognized by the 5th Circuit Court for persons mandated
to complete such a class. Call 245-1996 for more information.

Ke Ala Hoku provides clean and sober housing for individuals
participating in substance abuse treatment and for those who are
returning to the community following incarceration or drug
rehabilitation programs off island. For more information, call Kelly
or Shelia at 634-0414.

Hope, Health, and Healing (HHHK) is a faith-based nonprofit that
provides clean and sober living. On Kaua'i, they offer transitional
housing for clients who usually have been incarcerated or homeless due
to their addictions. HHHK is expanding services to outpatient
counseling, group counseling, and adult and teen assessments. They can
be reached at 245-3740.

The Kaua'i Intake Service Center (KISC) is responsible for bail
evaluations for the courts, provide supervision for offenders that the
courts release into the community, maintain the Community Service
Restitution Program, and prepare the offenders for admission into the
Kaua'i Community Correctional Center. In addition, KISC works closely
with the Adult Mental Health Division and the Substance Abuse agencies
in an effort to divert offenders to appropriate community based
programs. KISC's work is vital in saving the state pre-trial detention
costs, reducing the rate of Contempt of Court, while maintaining
safety throughout the community. For more information, call 245-7351.

The Jail Diversion Program (JDP) serves individuals with serious
mental illnesses who have been arrested and booked for non-violent,
non felony offenses.

Identification of mentally ill individuals who may be eligible for the
program takes place after arrest and booking but prior to arraignment.
More specifically, the diversion process involves the following steps:

- - Potential participants are screened by the police or Intake Service
Center (ISC) for the presence of mental illness. An evaluation of
eligibility for the program is then conducted by a jail diversion case
manager.

- - Jail Diversion Program details and benefits are presented to the
potential participant. The decision to apply for the program is
completely voluntary.

- - Consent forms are signed so that information can be shared between
agencies involved in the program.

- - An initial Recovery Plan is prepared by the jail diversion case
manager and a recommendation for diversion is made to the prosecutor
and the defense counsel.

- - If the prosecution and defense agree with the Recovery Plan, they
make a recommendation for jail diversion to the Judge.

- - The judge makes the final decision whether to divert the individual
away from incarceration and into mental health treatment provided by
the jail diversion program.

- - The diverted individual is placed on supervised release with
conditions under the supervision of the Intake Service Center and the
Kaua'i Jail Diversion Program.

- -- Further assessments are made of the individual's needs by the jail
diversion team at the Kaua'i Community Mental Health Center that
includes a psychiatrist, a psychiatric nurse, and the jail diversion
case manager.

Diverted individuals are then linked to an array of community-based
services that may include: substance abuse, support for entitlements,
housing and employment, family education, medical monitoring and other
services as needed.

The overall goal of the jail diversion program is based on a model of
recovery for the diverted individual. The recovery model emphasizes
the continuous therapeutic interaction between medications, support
services, and skills training that will assist individuals in their
recovery and help reduce further criminal behavior. Individuals in the
program who agree with the conditions of supervised release and comply
with treatment recommendations for six months not only avoid jail time
but also have their criminal charges dismissed. Diverted individuals
who fail to comply with the conditions of supervised release will be
returned to the court and the normal proceedings of the criminal
justice system.

Although these are just a few of the agencies involved in the
integration process, individuals have a wide array of options. The
goal of the Integration committee is to inform the public of these
options, and guide each individual to the appropriate agency.

At this time, we would like to thank all of the businesses who have
assisted with job opportunities, the landlords who have opened up
their homes for our residents in recovery, and for everyone else who
has opened up their hearts and gave these individuals hope. I would
also like to acknowledge The Garden Island newspaper for allowing us
to host this column and thank all of those who have
contributed.

. The county anti-drug program can be reached at 241-4925 or
tkoki@kauai.gov. Next month, Beyond The Influence will feature an
article on the impact of methamphetamine abuse on pregnancy and early
development.