title: Identifying substance abuse treatment gaps in substate areas.
abstract: Investigating concerns about uneven utilization of health services, especially affecting disadvantaged high-risk populations, the authors constructed composite indexes for identifying substance abuse treatment gaps in Rhode Island towns and multi-town planning areas. The Drug, Alcohol, and Substance Abuse Need Indexes combined multiple-year rates of substance-related deaths, hospital discharges, and arrests. These indicators were reliable and possessed convergent validity; the composite indexes were also reliable and had construct validity. Regression of treatment admissions rates on town Substance Abuse Need Index scores revealed that some areas had relative gaps in treatment services. Having an objective and validated method for identifying treatment gaps could help treatment planners ensure equal access to services throughout the state. Reducing travel to treatment facilities can increase treatment utilization and treatment retention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, National Technical Center for Substance Abuse Needs Assessment, North Charles Research and Planning Group, 875 Massachusetts Avenue, 7th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. wmcauliffe@ntc.org
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: McAuliffe
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Woodworth
authors.forename: Caroline Hui
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ryan P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Dunn
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006285:Health Planning; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012237:Rhode Island; D017062:Small-Area Analysis; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D035862:Vulnerable Populations