Our community is struggling to find options to address the opiate crisis, which is raging all over the United States. Substance use, especially opiate addiction, is at crisis levels. HNV wishes to convert storage and currently unusable space on the 2nd floor of our building into usable program space, where additional staff and peers can assist clients in need of services. It is anticipated that these physical plant changes would allow us to double our services.
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 23.5 million people aged 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol abuse problem in 2009, and only 2.6 million-11.2 percent of those who needed treatment-received it at a specialty facility. Furthermore, substance abuse costs our nation more than $484 billion per year through lost earnings, health care expenditures, and costs associated with crime and accidents.
According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, "every dollar invested in addiction treatment programs yields a return of between $4 and $7 in reduced drug-related crime, criminal justice costs, and theft. When savings related to health care are included, total savings can exceed costs by a ratio of 12 to 1". By investing and expanding our services, we will be able to treat more people and ultimately reduce the societal costs of substance use disorders.
Less than ten percent of people with substance use disorders receive treatment. By expanding our services, there will not only be more resources to help those with substance use disorders but society will benefit as a whole. Not only will it save tax dollars but it will also reduce the cyclical pattern of substance use disorders; ultimately reducing the rate that substance use disorders are passed down to the next generation of youth.
This project has provided additional documentation in a DOCX file (projdoc.docx).
