The provision of services for alcohol problems: a community perspective for understanding access.
Alcohol use is related to numerous health and social problems. The article describes the prevalence of alcohol problems and dependence across a county and its institutions. While high rates of problem drinking were found across health, mental health, criminal justice, welfare, drug, and alcohol programs, the proportion was highest for primary health clinics, the criminal justice system, and welfare agencies. This also was the case when the county's most serious alcohol problem cases--individuals who were alcohol dependent--were examined. Thus it may be useful to develop screening procedures, mainstream treatment interventions in non-alcohol specialty agencies, and include non-specialty agencies in services research on access.
Weisner
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University of California, San Francisco, Department of Psychiatry, 401 Parnassus, Box 0984, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA. conniew@lppi.ucsf.edu
D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D018672:Community Health Planning; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires