Hospitals nationally are reporting increased numbers of people coming to emergency rooms for problems related to meth use, especially in the Midwest, where 70-80 percent of hospitals reported that meth use was responsible for at least 10 percent of their patient loads.

Of the 200 regional and county hospitals responding to the survey, 73 percent reported an increase in meth-related ER visits over the past five years. Forty-seven percent said meth caused more ER visits than any other illicit drug.

The National Association of Counties, which prepared the reports, said the figures demonstrate how meth can overwhelm health and social-services providers.

"These are labor-intensive cases, and the money that's put out is money that the hospitals won't recover," said Jeri Reese, an emergency room nurse manager in Greene County, Iowa. "They're so unpredictable and erratic that when someone comes in, you have to have separate staff just to watch them."

More than half of the hospitals surveyed said their costs had risen as a direct result of meth use among their patients. Patient problems range from chemical burns among meth-lab workers to trauma and injuries linked to the paranoia and aggression typically sparked by meth use.

Demand for meth treatment has risen 69 percent, hospitals reported, but 63 percent said they did not have the capacity to meet the demand. "It has really rocked us," said Patrick Fleming, director of the Salt Lake County (Utah) Division of Substance Abuse Services. "People are staying in treatment slots longer, so I can't spin those beds to someone else. My waiting lists are mounting like crazy."

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