NCJ Number
214051
Journal
Journal of Addictive Diseases Volume: 25 Issue: 1 Dated: 2006 Pages: 5-14
Date Published
2006
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Under the supervision of the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), this study interviewed the administrators and patients of a stratified, random sample of 15 New York City substance abuse treatment programs to determine how the September 11 terrorist attacks had impacted their work on the day of the attacks and afterwards.
Abstract
The findings indicate there were major concerns for the mental health of both staff members and patients, the failure of the telephone communication system, the especially strong concerns of the staff of drug-free outpatient clinics regarding their ability to serve their clients, the lack of appropriate protocols for dispensing methadone in times of emergency, and the need to update disaster planning. Relatively speaking, the substance abuse treatment programs have returned to normal. Many administrators spoke strongly about the need for change as a result of their experiences; about half had initiated some change in their disaster plans. It would be helpful to revisit periodically the issues raised, in order to determine whether policy and programming have changed and been sustained. The sample of 15 treatment programs was selected to represent the system's major modalities. Administrators representing these programs were interviewed face-to-face using a structured interview schedule. The questions focused on the problems experienced on September 11 and afterward, patient issues, and the lessons learned. The administrators were interviewed between December 2002 and April 2003. 6 tables and 1 reference