More
than 1 in 2 adults (71,000) and 2 in 3 adolescents (9,400) who wanted
treatment for an addiction to alcohol or drugs in New Jersey could
not access it due to limited treatment capacity.
1 in5 New Jerseyans has a family member
with an alcohol or
drug problem.
Treatment
admissions have declined by nearly 15,000 over the last 10 years.
Alcohol taxes are expected to reach
117 million dollars by next year. Most disturbing is thatsince 1992 the amount of alcohol tax revenue that is allocated
to the Alcohol Education Rehabilitation and Enforcement Fund, which
is a dedicated fund established to disburse treatment dollars to
counties, has remained at 11 million dollars.
Traffic Crashes / Impaired Driving ...$2,500,000,000
(Pacific Institute for Research &
Evaluation, National Highway Safety Administration, Impaired Driving
in New Jersey)
Alcohol Involved Child Abuse and Neglect ...$ 305,630,000
(Child Maltreatment Report from the
States National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect Data Systems and
the Survey of State Prison Inmates, Children Safety Network Economics
& Data Analysis Resource Center )
Alcohol-Attributable Youth Problems... $1,292,567,600
(Underage Drinking Enforcement Training
Center a Project Based at Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation
(UDEC/PIRE)
Sickness, injury, absence in labor force... $118,412,658
(Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems,
George Washington University Medical Center, The Alcohol Cost Calculator)
Alcohol related health care costs in labor force $1,407,257,962
(Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems,
George Washington University Medical Center, The Alcohol Cost Calculator)
Emergency Room & Hospital Costs in labor force $ 248,162.057
(Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems,
George Washington University Medical Center, The Alcohol Cost Calculator)
New Jersey Mandated Health Benefits
Advisory Commission Recommends Enactment of Assembly Bill 333
requiring all health insurers to cover alcohol and drug
addiction under the same terms and conditions as for other diseases
or illnesses and revising statutory mental health coverage requirements.
“I firmly believe that if my daughter
had been treated for her addiction with the same diligence as if
she had diabetes or a heart condition, she would have had the tools
from the beginning to learn to handle her addiction and live a productive
life."
What is your story? Please share your story
with us and we will create a compilation and feature it on our Web
site in the future. Email your story to policy@ncaddnj.org
"I can only tell you the experience from my community, Jersey
City, where its almost a 6 month waiting list for someone
who wants help from substance abuse or drug problem and can’t
get it and I guess the issue I have here is where is the
money going to be better spent. Are we simply saying lets throw
up the white flag about putting dollar amounts or resources toward
substance abuse programs?" Assemblyman Louis Manzo(D-31)
"There are people in need (of addiction treatment)
and that needs to be addressed." Commissioner Clifton Lacy
M.D., NJ Department of Health and Senior Services
"I want to find out for the state of New Jersey just
how much money are we committing to education and drug treatment.
It hurts me when I have a family call me up in may office and says
my son is on drugs, my son needs help and there’s really no
place I can send him." Assemblyman Jerry Green (D-22)
"I and my colleagues meet every day, counsel,
see the tears and feel the pain of loved ones who have lost loved
ones or who seek help for loved ones who are drug users or drug
addicted. They worry not only about their loved ones but they also
worry about themselves…It is true that we need to do more
with education, but there is a tremendous need also for
residential drug rehabilitation facilities in this state." Reverend Jackson, Black Ministries
Council
"There are not enough treatment facilities." Assemblywoman Loretta D.
Weinberg(D-37)
"There is a critical need to make sure drug
treatment services are available." Majority Leader Joe Roberts
(D-5)
"What is urgently needed is adequate funding for education,
for drug treatment and for essential community based social services
to recovering addicts and their families. We’re woefully
aware that substance abusers face serious and sometimes insurmountable
obstacles in obtaining care." George V. Corwell, Associate
Director, Education, New Jersey Catholic Conference
"Investing state dollars directly into treatment is
a better use of taxpayers dollars. I would support expanding
treatment options for drug users." Senator Thomas H. Kean Jr.
(R-21)
"We need to address a funding need for treatment." Senator Robert W. Singer
(R-30)
"We need to do a much better job
of providing extensive and appropriate recovery and treatment for
those in our state who are addicted to drugs. There is
a significant shortage of treatment opportunities, and increased
funding for programs that are appropriate and helpful to people
is the answer." Reverend Bruce Jacobson,
Lutheran Ministries
"We should be ashamed of ourselves that in the largest county
(Essex) in the state...there are 22,000 people going untreated
because we can’t develop an ample public policy." Assemblywoman Sheila Y. Oliver(D-34)
"I'm in favor of increased funding for drug treatment
so that drug users get the help they need." Senator Diane B. Allen (R-7)
"There's a desperate need for substance abuse
drug space, treatment and programs in this state. We are probably
the worst in the nation at dealing with this problem." Assemblyman Louis Manzo(D-31)
"We should have drug treatment as a #1
priority." Assemblyman Reed Gusciora
(D-15)
"Should more money be spent on drug treatment?
You better believe it." John Tomicki, Citizen’s
Against Needle Exchange & League of American Families
________________________________________________________________________
Businesses
Elect Expanded Addiction Coverage to Yield High Rate of Return
in Savings, Productivity and Loyalty The
cost of addiction to New Jersey businesses can be measured
in both lives and dollars. A fact about treatment for addiction
that receives little attention is that people who undergo
appropriate care for alcohol or drug problems return not only
to their loved ones but also to their workplaces as the productive
employees they were before their difficulties began. The savings
to companies that provide coverage for thorough addiction
treatment are substantial, as NCADD-NJ's Access to Quality
Treatment report demonstrates.
Improving Substance Abuse Treatment
in New Jersey:
A Report of the New Jersey Substance Abuse Prevention &
Treatment Advisory Task Force, NJDHSS, August 2001
>>>>Those persons with insurance
and severe substance abuse problems (such as heroin addiction) have
problems accessing covered treatment services promptly. If services
are authorized by their managed care organization, care is frequently
of insufficient intensity or duration to lead to recovery (p. 3).
More
than 1 in 2 adults (71,000) and 2 in 3 adolescents (9,400) who wanted
treatment for an addiction to alcohol or drugs in New Jersey could
not access it due to limited treatment capacity.
