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Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy
Published in: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 1/2010

Open Access 01-12-2010 | Research

Persistence of low drug treatment coverage for injection drug users in large US metropolitan areas

Authors: Barbara Tempalski, Charles M Cleland, Enrique R Pouget, Sudip Chatterjee, Samuel R Friedman

Published in: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy | Issue 1/2010

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Abstract

Objectives

Injection drug users (IDUs) are at high risk for HIV, hepatitis, overdose and other harms. Greater drug treatment availability has been shown to reduce these harms among IDUs. Yet, little is known about changes in drug treatment availability for IDUs in the U.S. This paper investigates change in drug treatment coverage for IDUs in 90 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) during 1993-2002.

Methods

We define treatment coverage as the percent of IDUs who are in treatment. The number of IDUs in drug treatment is calculated from treatment entry data and treatment census data acquired from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, divided by our estimated number of IDUs in each MSA.

Results

Treatment coverage was low in 1993 (mean 6.7%; median 6.0%) and only increased to a mean of 8.3% and median of 8.0% coverage in 2002.

Conclusions

Although some MSAs experienced increases in treatment coverage over time, overall levels of coverage were low. The persistence of low drug treatment coverage for IDUs represents a failure by the U.S. health care system to prevent avoidable harms and unnecessary deaths in this population. Policy makers should expand drug treatment for IDUs to reduce blood-borne infections and community harms associated with untreated injection drug use.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Persistence of low drug treatment coverage for injection drug users in large US metropolitan areas
Authors
Barbara Tempalski
Charles M Cleland
Enrique R Pouget
Sudip Chatterjee
Samuel R Friedman
Publication date
01-12-2010
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy / Issue 1/2010
Electronic ISSN: 1747-597X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1747-597X-5-23

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