|
   |
||||
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||
|
|
New Take On Addiction Treatment By Monica Brady-Myerov  Listen to story (Real Audio)
BOSTON, Mass. - October 09, 2007 - In Massachusetts, an estimated 50,000 teens are addicted to alcohol and illegal drugs, according to the state's Department of Public Health. Compounding that growing problem is the shortage of treatment programs or data on their effectiveness. Now Massachusetts General Hospital has opened a new center this month that overhauls the approaches to treating addiction among young people. WBUR's Monica Brady-Myerov reports. Text: MONICA BRADY-MYEROV: When Jim Bildner of the North Shore opened his teenage son Peter's book bag he was already suspicious Peter was using drugs. But he wasn't prepared for what he found... needles, syringes and bags to hold heroin. JIM BILDNER: Like other parents we were just stupid we knew in our hearts that he was doing these things be we denied it to ourselves denied it with him and allowed him to tell us he wasn't doing these things. MONICA BRADY-MYEROV: But then he and his wife took a deep breath and thought we're smart enough to find help, we have the money to pay for it and in time Peter's drug problem will be fixed like a broken leg. But Bildner soon realized the system of drug treatment was broken. JIM BILDNER: It ranges from stupidity and sort of systemic incompetence to just we really literally have in this country we have not resourced anything close to what's required to provide people with serious, I mean adolescents with serious substance abuse to have any legitimate chance of recovery of any kind. MONICA BRADY-MYEROV: Bildner, who is a venture capitalist and also sits on WBUR's executive council, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars over three years to get Peter in residential and outpatient treatment centers around the country. In spite of this, in 2006, Peter died of a heroin overdose. Now Bildner is devoting his energy and money to changing the treatment model. JIM BILDNER: We just couldn't stomach the idea that other families would literally go through the same process that we went through and end up with the same outcome. MONICA BRADY-MYEROV: Bildner donated money to Mass General Hospital to create the Addiction Recovery Management Service or ARMS. It helps the addict and the whole family. ARMS won't provide direct care, but will link people up to the age of 25 and their families to drug treatment services and follow them for at least a year. ARMS also has a hotline to give teens and parents information on drug treatment services, which currently doesn't exist. And it will start keeping data on which treatment programs in the state work and which ones don't Clinical Psychologist John Kelly runs the ARMS program. JOHN KELLY: Not a lot is known about the quality of programs in the community and it's a common concern we don't know whose doing what. The nature of the staff who is running the programs, etc. MONICA BRADY-MYEROV: A national study in 2003 by the Treatment Research Institute found that drug treatment programs have a very high turnover rate, few have doctors on staff to prescribe medications and some are run by directors with no college education. Most drug treatment programs operate outside the health care system. Kelly says by basing the program in a hospital it underscores the fact that addiction is a treatable disease. JOHN KELLY: We are recognizing the conceptions shift to treating addiction as a chronic illness so when you take that model of chronic care and apply it to addictions we're looking about a year of engagement initially. MONICA BRADY-MYEROV: Bridgewater mother June Saba says she wants this kind of family focused support. She has three sons who are addicted to heroin and she says it's been frustrating and demeaning trying to find help. JUNE SABA: We've had such trouble finding treatment, when this first started 3 ? years ago treatment was almost non existed and when you went in there you really weren't clear about what it's about because we didn't know what we were dealing with and we weren't educated on it. MONICA BRADY-MYEROV: In its first year ARMS plans to help 50 families. MGH says funding is limiting the scope of the program. They're concerned the demand is so high for this type of family centered help, they'll have to turn people away. For WBUR I'm Monica Brady-Myerov. FOR HELP WITH A DRUG ADDICTION, CALL THE ARMS CLINIC HOTLINE: 617-643-4699. Staffed during normal business hours. Messages will be returned within one business day
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Sponsor |
