Baltimore Receives $1 Million Treatment Grant September 24, 2004
Funding Tips & Trends
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has given $1 million to the Baltimore Substance Abuse System, Inc., for interim methadone treatment of nearly 1,200 heroin addicts over the course of the next year, the Baltimore Sun reported September 14.The new funding makes this the largest program of its kind in the country. Over 400 wait-listed addicts in the city would be able to receive immediate treatment.
"This is really important," said Dr. Peter L. Beilenson, the city health commissioner. "We want to get people off the street and into a supportive environment."
Interim treatment would last for four months -- the limit for interim programs set by federal mandate. The programs are intended as a stepping stone to more comprehensive treatment, with 80 percent of participants moving on to more extensive treatment, according to a study by the Friends Research Institute of Baltimore.
Funds will be delegated to five methadone treatment centers in the Baltimore area: Man Alive, the Sinai Hospital Addiction Recovery Program, Reach Mobile Health Services, Daybreak Treatment Program, and the Johns Hopkins University Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit.
