THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

47

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2002

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE RESOLUTION

 

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO DEVELOP A STRATEGIC PLAN TO COORDINATE PROGRAM SUPPORT OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT PROGRAMS FOR ADOLESCENTS.

 

WHEREAS, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, adolescents who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21; and

WHEREAS, adolescents with a family history of substance abuse, who are depressed, who have low self-esteem, and who feel like they don't fit with their peer group, are at higher risk for substance abuse; and

WHEREAS, the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry recommends that children and adolescents being evaluated for substance abuse problems concurrently be evaluated for other mental and emotional disorders; and

WHEREAS, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in their Treatment Improvement Protocol recommends that treatment plans include addressing co-existing mental disorders because progress in substance abuse treatment may be stymied unless co-existing conditions are addressed; and

WHEREAS, a recent National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) study on outcomes of substance abuse treatment for adolescents found that in addition to substance abuse problems, 63 percent of the study participants met diagnostic criteria for a mental disorder; and

WHEREAS, the NIDA study further found that longer stays in residential and outpatient programs had significantly better outcomes than those who did not have such treatment; and

 

WHEREAS, the Department of Health's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division and the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Division, each have responsibility for providing services to adolescents, within their respective jurisdictions; and

WHEREAS, mental health service providers who serve the adolescent population in Hawaii, have been stymied in their efforts to secure residential treatment for adolescents with substance abuse and mental health disorders, due to a lack of coordination of financial and program resources between the above-noted divisions; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-First Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2002, that the Department of Health, in consultation with the Hawaii Psychiatric Association and Hawaii Psychological Association, develop a strategic plan for coordination of residential treatment services for adolescents with substance abuse and mental disorders; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department shall review each division's treatment protocols, admission criteria, and available resources to develop program guidelines that will maximize resources between the two divisions in order to better serve the adolescent population; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Psychiatric Association and Hawaii Psychological Association will assist the Department by providing current Hawaii data on the projected needs of the adolescent population, successful treatment protocols that can be integrated into local residential programs, and results of existing residential treatment programs in Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health shall submit their strategic plan to the Governor and to the Legislature twenty days prior to the convening of the 2003 Regular Session; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health, the Hawaii Psychiatric Association, and the Hawaii Psychological Association.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Substance abuse residential treatment for adolescents.