The city of Boise chose to open a methamphetamine treatment program because it is "by far the fastest growing drug in the Boise area - its use is at epidemic proportions," said Bethany Gadzinksi, clinic director. Treatment for methamphetamine is different from all other drugs except cocaine, due to the biological effects on the brain, so it requires a specialized process over a much longer time.

The methamphetamine treatment center is Boise's first attempt to provide outpatient services, will help 50 clients in year one and 75 in year two and year three. Gadzinski reports that the treatment center has a 67 percent retention rate, serving 40 clients as of the end of July and an expected 50 by the end of September.

Of the 33 percent who have dropped out of the program, most have returned to incarceration, which Gadzinski said is "not surprising, since 40 percent of the clients came from the criminal justice system." Additionally, counselors at the clinic are working with a few pregnant women who are on bed rest, visiting them at home several times a week. "But very few have dropped out and returned to hard core drug use," Gadzinski said. The city's Community Services Coordinator, AnaMarie Kesling, said that the clinic's location helps with participation and retention. The clinic is in a "beautiful" office space that communicates respect to clients and to the program, she said.

The city also received a supplemental grant from SAMHSA to provide dental care for those in the treatment program. Prolonged use of methamphetamine causes sleep deprivation, malnutrition, and calcium leaching - all of which lead to rotting teeth. Clients without their front four to six teeth, in particular, are having problems finding employment. The supplemental grant will allow the treatment program to work with a clinic that provides dental care for homeless people where dentists will focus on those teeth.

Encouraged by their success with the SAMHSA grant, the Boise Mayor's Office is working with others in the community on additional plans to increase treatment, including for dually-diagnosed homeless adults and for youth. The city of Boise is also working to construct a detoxification facility. This facility will meet an urgent unmet need, and will relieve an overwhelmed medical and law enforcement community.

"Demand Treatment! has served as a catalyst to bring to fruition ongoing efforts to battle alcohol and substance abuse addiction in Boise," said Kesling.