By Jamey Dunn
The amount of overdue payments the state owes to providers of substance abuse prevention and treatment programs increased by $12 million in the span of a month.
According to the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association (IADDA), the state owed $34 million at the beginning of October, and it now owes $46 million — in some cases, on bills that are seven months overdue.
Sarah Howe, spokesperson for the IADDA, said providers throughout the state are in danger of soon being unable to pay employees. “The next payroll out, the one after that, they are potentially going to have to miss it.”
Howe said that many providers have stopped offering essential services, such as detox programs, sending individuals seeking help to local emergency rooms. She said specialized substance abuse treatment providers are more equipped to handle such procedures, and sending those in need to hospitals costs taxpayers more and clogs up emergency medical treatment facilities. “I cannot think of a provider that hasn’t had to do something as far as curtailing services,” Howe said.
She added that residents whose lives are not touched by addiction might not realize how much of an impact the state’s late payments have on treatment providers because treatment centers in their area may still be open.
However, Howe said they have likely cut offerings, such as residential care, and are running long waiting lists for treatment. ‘When someone comes and says they are ready for treatment today, you need to take them today. … When you have those moments, you really want to seize upon them.”
Instead, Howe said, “[getting inpatient treatment] could take six to eight weeks. That’s a whole different ball game.”
Howe added, “You may be driving by a provider that still has the lights on, but what’s behind that front door is less than what was there a year or two years ago.”
Showing posts with label substance abuse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label substance abuse. Show all posts
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Helping hands for the legal profession
By Hilary Russell
In the legal community, rates of mental illness, including depression and substance abuse —especially alcoholism — are rising, according to the National Law Journal. The economy is part of the problem, but demand for treatment also is increasing because more people are finding out about services that are available.
The nonprofit Lawyers’ Assistance Program, which offers interventions and support when someone in the legal community hits bottom, conducted a training session today in Springfield. Services range from counseling with a clinical director to one-on-one peer counseling or referrals. Interventions involve three trained volunteers, one of which is a judge.
This year marks the first time that psychological problems were more common than drug and alcohol abuse, according to the Lawyers’ Assistance Program.
“This is about the recovery part,” said former Cook County Judge Daniel Welter. Recovery, he said, doesn’t end when someone stops drinking. “I’m an alcoholic, and the important part is that I am recovering, not recovered.”
Welter said that his own experiences with alcoholism propelled him to get involved with the non-profit agency. The same is true for many of the volunteers, who often are from the legal community and are recovering from an addiction or illness.
James Faught, associate dean at Loyola Law School in Chicago, began volunteering with the Lawyers’ Assistance Program in the late 1980s.
“Often people come to us when their impairments or issues are not at the stage that requires intervention,” he said. “Sometimes, they’re just depressed. … And we’re able to provide a good ear from lawyers and judges who have been through the same thing in their own careers.”
The numbers have gone up regularly since early 2000, added Faught, in part because the program has been gaining publicity. “When we started getting funding from the [Illinois] Supreme Court and the lawyers’ fees, we started seeing more people coming to us for help.”
The program began in 1980 with a small group of judges and lawyers and funding from the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association.
The nonprofit Lawyers’ Assistance Program, which offers interventions and support when someone in the legal community hits bottom, conducted a training session today in Springfield. Services range from counseling with a clinical director to one-on-one peer counseling or referrals. Interventions involve three trained volunteers, one of which is a judge.
This year marks the first time that psychological problems were more common than drug and alcohol abuse, according to the Lawyers’ Assistance Program.
“This is about the recovery part,” said former Cook County Judge Daniel Welter. Recovery, he said, doesn’t end when someone stops drinking. “I’m an alcoholic, and the important part is that I am recovering, not recovered.”
Welter said that his own experiences with alcoholism propelled him to get involved with the non-profit agency. The same is true for many of the volunteers, who often are from the legal community and are recovering from an addiction or illness.
James Faught, associate dean at Loyola Law School in Chicago, began volunteering with the Lawyers’ Assistance Program in the late 1980s.
“Often people come to us when their impairments or issues are not at the stage that requires intervention,” he said. “Sometimes, they’re just depressed. … And we’re able to provide a good ear from lawyers and judges who have been through the same thing in their own careers.”
The numbers have gone up regularly since early 2000, added Faught, in part because the program has been gaining publicity. “When we started getting funding from the [Illinois] Supreme Court and the lawyers’ fees, we started seeing more people coming to us for help.”
The program began in 1980 with a small group of judges and lawyers and funding from the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association.
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