Substance abuse treatment costs county $35,000 in three months [The Creston News Advertiser, Iowa]
By Kyle Wilson, The Creston News Advertiser, Iowa | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Monday, County Auditor
"We spent
The county has already paid for more than 20 court-ordered, substance-abuse treatments this fiscal year. To receive county-paid treatment, two or more people must be willing to committ the substance user, and it's preferred one of those members is a medical or psychological professional.
Then, a judge grants or denies the treatment.
"We've had pretty good numbers so far this year," Kenyon said. "We happen to be a center for services in
Kenyon said the most common substance-abuse treatments are for users of methamphetamine, alcohol and prescription drugs. The most common age range for users is young adults between 20 and 30 years of age.
In terms of cost, Kenyon said each substance abuse treatment is first sent to the patient's health insurance provider or to a government assistance program like
However, in most cases, the patient does not have health insurance nor government assistance, meaning the county, per Iowa Code, must pay for the treatment in full. The average cost per patient this year for treatment has been about
"The reason it's so expensive is first, there is a transport process, because we can't tell them to drive to
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