DRUG REHAB OPTIONS LEAVE ADOLESCENTS LOOKING ELSEWHERE

Daviess County families struggling to get an adolescent child off a drug or
alcohol problem must seek help from outside the region, according to area
chemical dependency professionals.

The closest detoxification or rehabilitation services for anyone under the
age of 18 are in Evansville, Louisville and Nashville.

Adults have inpatient and outpatient options at two locations in Owensboro:
RiverValley Behavioral Health at 1100 Walnut St., or Owensboro Mercy Health
System.

The two locations offer a total of 18 inpatient beds and a variety of
outpatient services such as day treatment and group counseling. The total
client population that participate in the outpatient services fluctuates,
but was about 20 people this week, representatives of the two facilities said.

Basic recovery options exist in Owensboro, but the services are limited and
could be much better, said Mike Todd, director of outpatient and substance
abuse services at RiverValley.

Despite the relatively low number of inpatient beds, neither facility is
full. The reason for the vacancies is attributed to the voluntary nature of
the treatment program, said Lorena Ard, the hospital's director of
behavioral health, and the costs associated with the treatment, which many
insurance programs do not cover, Todd said.

Other people choose a rehabilitation program that will get them out of town
and into an anonymous situation, Todd said.

"If you want to leave town because you're worried about confidentiality
you're going to go seek out Nashville or Louisville," Todd said.

RiverValley formerly operated a 20-bed facility in Henderson, but the
facility closed and a 10-bed facility was brought to Owensboro in January,
he said.

"Unfortunately, most people don't get real passionate about this issue
unless it affects them in a personal way," Todd said. "The issue is bigger
than how many beds are in town. The issue is, is there a continuum care
that meets the needs of clients and meets the needs in the community?"

The standard 28-day program typically associated with detox stints was
designed to separate males from alcohol, he said. The 28-day program was
not created to accommodate problems with drugs like methamphetamine or
crack, he said.

Often the true strength of any program designed to curb an addiction comes
after the initial detox through a series of aftercare programs that help
the person establish a lifestyle without drugs and alcohol, Todd said.

Owensboro has at least three halfway houses that serve men and women as
they recover.

Owensboro Mercy, which has operated a substance abuse facility since
November 1997, offers a year of aftercare after the initial visit for
substance abuse, Ard said. Clients are also steered toward groups such as
Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous so they may have a community of
people who are seeking lifestyle changes, she said.

"That's the key to it," Ard said. "You have to have that support."

Research states that it takes about a year for someone to physiologically
change after an addiction or abuse of substances, she said.

The available services are good, but a very limited number of options exist
in the community, Todd said. Additional outpatient and day treatment
services are necessary to make a large impact on drug and alcohol abuse,
which also affects the crime rate and health insurance costs, he said.

"Just detoxing them and putting them back out on the street doesn't do
anything," Todd said. "I think the community needs to get together and
collaborate and see what we do need."

Most insurance programs do not cover inpatient services. Charges for such
treatment can cost a family a minimum of $200 per day, or in excess of
$50,000 a year, Todd said.

Both Todd and Ard agreed there is a need for a rehab service for
adolescents and children.

Deaconess Cross Pointe of Evansville is a 60-bed inpatient substance abuse
facility which also serves an unlimited outpatient base, said Janie
Chappell, Deaconess' director of business development.

The center also offers traditional psychological services for children,
adolescents, adults and seniors, she said.

"I know we do get a fair amount of people in general from Owensboro,"
Chappell said.

Of the nine entries in the Yellow Pages under "Drug Abuse and Addiction,"
only one of them is for a local facility, RiverValley.

Three of the listings are Florida-based recovery facilities that advertise
in phone books throughout the country. Three of the listings advertise
Evansville-based facilities.

One of the listings is an Elizabethtown facility. The other is a drug
trafficking tipster line at the Owensboro Police Department.