DRUG CZAR ANNOUNCES $22.8 MILLION IN GRANT FUNDS

WASHINGTON -- Drug Czar John Walters announced Wednesday that $22.8
million in federal aid will go to Missouri for a drug treatment
voucher program, one of 14 states and a tribal council to receive
grants for such programs.

The money will be paid out over three years in the form of vouchers
that can be redeemed for drug and alcohol addiction programs, as well
as support services like transportation to treatment centers and child
care.

The voucher system could be implemented in as soon as a month, said
Michael Conty, director of Missouri's Division of Alcohol and Drug
Abuse.

The federal aid does not directly increase the number of beds or
treatment slots, but state and federal officials hope that the money
from the vouchers will indirectly provide more capital for expansion
of existing treatment programs.

Walters, who directs the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said
the funding will help 5,000 people in Missouri get treatment through
secular and faith-based institutions. Walters said the vouchers are
aimed at those who cannot afford to pay on their own, especially those
without health insurance. Nationwide, Walters said the goal was to
help an additional 100,000 people without health coverage obtain
addiction services.

Walters made the announcement at Queen of Peace Treatment Center in
St. Louis, a St. Louis Catholic Charities affiliate which provides
services for addicted women and their children, many of whom are homeless.

Here's how the voucher system will work: An adult who screens positive
for addiction will be issued a voucher that lists at least two places
he or she can go for assessment. After completing the assessment, the
person gets a treatment voucher that can be redeemed at a
government-approved treatment program, based on the person's needs and
preferences. The organizations providing the treatment and assessment
issue any necessary vouchers for supplemental services.

Conty said that the money will help Missourians get better access to
treatment in rural areas as well as St. Louis and Kansas City.

"One of the problems we've had in the past in outstate Missouri is
having a limited amount of dollars," Conty said. "This will help our
providers expand their satellite offices and maybe help create
services that have not been available in the past."

Last year, 38,610 people in Missouri checked into drug and alcohol
treatment programs, according to data from the Office of National Drug
Control Policy.