New committee to improve drug addict services

By <mailto:jcdavis@...> John Davis
Montgomery Advertiser



Alabama's latest move to battle substance abuse involves a 27-person
commission and a $200,000 grant.


On Thursday, Republican Gov. Bob Riley launched the Alabama Commission
for the Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse, a group that will
look for ways to improve the state's services for drug addicts.


The problem, according to the Riley administration, among others, is
that substance abuse is expensive for Alabama, in addition to its human
costs. The governor's edict forming the commission states that "Alabama
spends in excess of $1.2 billion annually, in state funds alone, on
substance abuse treatment, prevention and other services related to
crime, death, disease and other social problems associated with the use
of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs."


Kent Hunt, associate commissioner of the Substance Abuse Division of the
Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, will head
the commission. Hunt said the new organization will begin meeting
monthly to work on ways to battle substance abuse in Alabama.


Other agencies represented on the commission include the Department of
Public Health, Alabama Medicaid Agency, Education, the Attorney
General's Office, Corrections and Senior Services.


"I don't know how you exclude any of these," said Riley said in
reference to the large commission. "I don't know that there's an agency
down here that's not being affected."


The governor encouraged state agencies to work together and avoid turf
battles.


"I know everyone is going to be protective of their budget," he said.


The commission is working with a $200,000 grant from the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation. Alabama is one of five states nationwide that
received money from the foundation's Resources for Recovery program.


Hunt said the commission's goal is to "change the way substance abuse
services are planned and implemented in Alabama."


The grant money will be used in part to help the commission gather
information on drug programs across the nation.


"No agency is interested in taking another agency's resources. ... ,"
Hunt told about 100 state government workers Thursday morning. "We must
break down the borders between agencies."


According to the mental health department, more than 250,000 Alabamians
need substance abuse treatment, but the state can only help about 10
percent of them.


The commission will gather information through town meetings and other
forums and report back to the governor once a year.



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