D.C. Detox Center Renovates Building, Program November 18, 2005
Communities in Action The detoxification center at Washington D.C. General Hospital has repaired and refurbished its building and will be implementing improvements to its drug treatment program, the Common Denominator reported on November 14.Physical improvements cost $300,000 and included repairing a damaged roof that made thirty percent of the center's beds unusable, repainting, enhancing the kitchen and adding a recreation room with several arcade-style table games.
Legislation passed by the city council in July will also streamline the existing voucher system by requiring providers of services such as outpatient care transitional housing to secure only one certification, not two, from the Department of Health's Addiction Prevention and Recovery Administration (APRA).
APRA will also begin handling its own contracts, rather than the Office of Contracts and Procurement, which was not always sensitive to health-related issues, overseeing the certification process.
Increased funding will also allow the center to expand its services. The D.C. Department of Health was awarded a $3 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and next year the District will receive 70 cents of Medicaid funding for every dollar spent.
