PUBLIC INPUT NEEDED AT TREATMENT FORUM

The vast majority of people with substance abuse problems don't seek the
treatment they need.

And the select few who do ask for help often find that the necessary treatment
isn't readily available in the area -- or even near the area -- where they
live.

The findings are just a sample of the troubling picture painted by the National
Survey on Drug Use and Health released this month by the Department of Health
and Human Services.

In 2002, 22 million Americans were dependent upon drugs and alcohol, but only 6
percent sought treatment, the HHS reports. And even when people did seek help,
nearly one in every four found treatment for drug abuse to be unavailable.

The report likely isn't surprising to those people trying to tackle the local
substance abuse problem. They've been saying for some time that treatment is
limited, and that what is available hasn't been terribly successful.

Local law enforcement has done a tremendous job of educating the public about
increasing drug use, and encouraging residents to take an active role in
combating the problem.

For whatever reason, however, the need for increasing and improving treatment
hasn't resonated in the same manner as the need for more enforcement.

Community Solutions for Substance Abuse is attempting to change this mind-set.
The group will hold a forum Saturday at Daviess County High School to identify
gaps in treatment and discuss how resources can be better allocated. Organizers
say the goal is to make the public aware of what's available, and what's
lacking, and to seek answers as to what can be done to ensure better treatment.

Before her death, former Owensboro City Commissioner Olive Burroughs championed
the need for a local residential substance abuse treatment center. That project
never gained much momentum, mainly because of financial restraints, but also
because some questioned the need.

The reason its necessity was questioned is highlighted in the HHS report --
some people mistake lack of demand for lack of need. For example, the hospital
cut its number of detox beds substantially last year, citing that only two beds
per day were used on average.

But we know from law enforcement, judges, family counselors, prevention
specialists and numerous other groups that what they see on a daily basis is a
substance abuse problem on the rise. So these abusers are either not seeking,
can't find, or don't know about available treatment. That's why it's so
important that residents take the same interest in improving treatment that
they have in supporting enforcement. By doing so, perhaps we'll quit treading
water and make some real progress toward combating substance abuse.

To Attend

The treatment forum sponsored by Community Solutions for Substance Abuse is
from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday in the Daviess County High School cafeteria. The
public is encouraged to attend and the panel will field questions from the
audience.