Alcohol and other Drug Services for Women in California

1. Alcohol and other Drug Services for Women in California Women’s Health Conference San Francisco May 14, 2009

2. California Demographics • In 2006, 76,204 women were admitted to publicly funded treatment for substance use disorders. • The majority of women (66%) admitted in 2006 received outpatient treatment services while 21 percent received residential treatment.

3. California Demographics (continued) • Of the women discharged during 2006, 34 percent completed their treatment and recovery plan and achieved their goals. • Forty-six percent did not complete treatment but made satisfactory progress.

4. The number of days women were in treatment is shown in this chart. *excludes detoxification services that are normally less than eight days in duration.

5. California Demographics (continued) • Of the 76,204 women admitted to treatment during 2006, 4,507 (6%) indicated that they were pregnant at the time of admission. • Among pregnant women admitted to treatment in California, methamphetamine was the primary drug of abuse at 59 percent followed by marijuana at 14 percent, alcohol at 9 percent, and heroin at 8 percent. • In 2004, the California Maternal and Infant Health Assessment estimated that 100,000 infants are born prenatally exposed to alcohol, and an estimated 20,000 to 60,000 are born prenatally exposed to illicit drugs.

6. Comparing Women and Men in Treatment • Women comprised 36 percent of the treatment population, while 64 percent of the individuals in treatment were men. • A higher proportion of women were methamphetamine users compared to men. Methamphetamine was the most common drug for 44 percent of women and 32 percent of men.

7. Comparing Women and Men in Treatment • Alcohol was the second most commonly reported drug of choice at admission among both men and women. Alcohol was the most common drug of abuse for 17 percent of women and 20 percent of men. • A slightly higher percentage of men (38%) completed treatment, i.e. completed their treatment plan, than women (34%).

8. Core Competencies for Programs that Serve Women • Subject Matter Experts met in 12/07. • Developed Seven Core Competencies: • Safety (environment) • Trauma-Informed • Culturally Competent • Women-Specific Curricula • Case Management • Clinical Supervision • Health and Wellness

9. Core Competencies Dissemination Plan • Online survey taken by counties and treatment providers to determine Technical Assistance needs. • Stephanie Covington trainings and TA. • Future regional trainings. • To access the Women’s Treatment Guidelines-Core Competencies for All Programs Serving Women: http://www.adp.ca.gov/Perinatal/pdf/Core_Competencies_Wm_Tx.pdf

10. NASADAD GUIDELINES TO STATES • OWPS participated in development as member of the Women’s Services Network. • OWPS developed questionnaire based on guidelines and recruited volunteers to participate in in-depth on-site review. • Purpose: determine if NASADAD guidelines are appropriate for California programs. Access to Guidance to States: Treatment Standards for Women With Substance Use Disorders: http://www.nasadad.org/index.php?doc_id=1379

11. State Interagency Team • The State Interagency Team (SIT) for Children and Youth was established in 2003 to coordinate policy, services and strategies for children, youth, and families in California. • Comprised of deputy directors from 10 state agencies - provides leadership and guidance to facilitate local system improvements. • State agencies represented on the SIT include the Departments of Social Services, Education, Health Services, Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug Programs, Developmental Services, and Employment Development, as well as the Attorney General’s Office, the California Children and Families Commission, and the Workforce Investment Board.

12. State Interagency Team Sub-Committee on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) • The SIT FASD multi-agency work group, is exploring approaches to reduce the incidence of prenatal alcohol use. • An additional goal is to improve access to treatment for families impacted by FASD.

13. Technical Assistance Available Trauma-informed Services to Women and Girls For free technical assistance and training specific to Trauma-informed services to women and girls, please contact: • California Association of Addiction Recovery Resources (CAARR)P.O. Box 214127 Sacramento, CA 95821 • Contact: Patricia Patterson, Program Director Phone: (916) 338-9460 FAX: (916) 338-9468/ TTY: (916) 473-0836 Email: caarr@caarr.org