DURHAM NEEDS MORE REHAB FOR ITS DRUG PROBLEM

You shouldn't be surprised by a recent survey commissioned by the
county government. Substance abuse care isn't close to meeting the
needs in Durham.

The trend started about 10 years ago when many insurance providers
stopped granting coverage for people with addictions. Around the same
time, a number of prominent substance abuse clinics closed.

The Chaps Koala Center in Durham closed in 1994, and the age of 30-day
treatment programs came to an end. Durham County began rethinking its
approach to substance abuse services, and before you could blink an
eye, it became more difficult to get help. Durham hasn't had a medical
detoxification program since the Oakleigh center closed three years
ago.

The only place to get meaningful treatment was the county jail. That
changed as the county's STARR program was revamped. Despite the
growing needs within the county, services for people on drugs were
decreasing.

The study, released last week, estimated that 17,591 people in Durham
County have substance abuse problems. A new facility is slated to open
this year under the management of private service provider Telecare
Corp. That's good news for thousands in Durham County who can't get
help because of a lack of insurance. Some may think Telecare will
solve all of Durham's problems. Don't count on it.

How did the City of Medicine drop the ball on substance abuse
services? You would think someone would have helped create a model to
address one of Durham's biggest problems. It doesn't take a rocket
scientist to make the correlation between increased crime and
substance abuse. With the rise of gangs in Durham, you would think
someone would be smart enough to develop a strategy to support those
who want to get off drugs.

Maybe nothing has been done because no one cares enough. It's
difficult getting people behind helping people who are in bad shape
because of their own actions. Who wants to go into their pocket to
fund programs to help those who would rather get high than take
responsibility for their own lives?

Selling a community on the need for substance abuse programs is one of
the hardest things a person can do. It's easier to talk about crime
and changes within the system than to look at the root causes of
incarceration. Isn't it less costly to put money into prevention and
treatment than to pay the bill for a person to remain behind bars
because of a drug-related offense?

You can reduce prostitution, homicides and theft by providing
substance abuse services. You can help end a cycle of poverty by
addressing the crutch used when a person gives up on life and looks
for an escape. Drugs are used to help stop the pain -- if only for a
few minutes. What would happen if we offered remedies that helped
people end their dependency?

The study says Durham's loosely coordinated network of treatment
centers, halfway houses and other resources isn't nearly enough to
accommodate the need. There is no place to go. If you want help, and
many do, you have to look long and hard to find it. That's not good
enough for the City of Medicine.

The report called for the Durham Center -- the county's mental health
department -- to take the lead role in organizing new systems. Doug
Wright, chairman of the Durham Center's board, responded with the
normal copout quote, "There is not enough funding." Is that the
problem? There isn't enough money to meet one of Durham's greatest
needs?

For close to 10 years, Durham County has been crying the blues over
substance abuse. Durham citizens have been told to accept the fact
there isn't enough money. There has been no uproar. It seems people
are willing to accept Durham's drug problem.

The survey says it all. Durham hasn't done enough. The worst part is
that Durham isn't positioned to do anything substantial to meet the
need. Telecare will help some, but more is needed. Durham needs more
than a survey. We need action. The County Commission needs to demand a
solution, and fast.

There is an alternative. We can continue to do nothing, and, in the
process watch crime increase, gangs get more out of control,
prostitution continue to rob women of their lives, and communities
hurt as more homes are boarded up, more children drop-out and more
neighbors end up in prison.

You can say it's not your problem. We can refuse to fund services for
those who refuse to help themselves. It may be a waste of money, but
something has to be done. That's what the survey concluded.

Carl Kenney is a Durham pastor.