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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 01231990 - 2.3 .2. 3 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FROM: Mark Finucane, Director Health Services Department '�,.,�.�l.Jl ll� `✓Wa DATE: January 12, 1990 Cry v/ SUBJECT: Drug Abuse Services For Pregnant Drug Dependent Women, Homeless Clients, and Sojourne Community Counseling Center SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) @ BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION. I . RECOMMENDATION: Accept report from Health Services Director on Drug Abuse Services For Pregnant Drug Dependent Women, Homeless Clients, and Sojourne Community Counseling Center II . BACKGROUND: On December . 12, 1989 Your Board requested information regarding Department of Health Services policy on the provision of services to pregnant women who are drug dependent and homeless residents who are also drug dependent. In addition, Your Board requested a progress report regarding the start-up of the Sojourne Community Counseling Center in West County. County drug abuse services consist of both contract and County operated programs . Within each of these environments, programmatic decisions regarding admission criteria are based on a number of factors . Generally the most important factors considered are the date at which the patient/client requested services; the degree of motivation to actively participate in the recovery process; ability of the program to provide specialized services; and an individual client assessment which looks at clinical issues such as the degree to which a client may be. experiencing a life and/or medical crisis . Being a pregnant woman with a drug dependency problem or being a' homeless person with a drug dependency problem are clear examples of major life and/or health crises . Due to sound clinical practices, our programs currently provide special attention and special admission consideration to voluntary clients who fall into either of the aforementioned high risk categories . A formal policy has been developed and sent to both contract and County drug programs . This policy states that, pregnant women who are drug dependent and homeless residents who are drug dependent will receive the most immediate care possible. The policy clearly states that this level CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: _ YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE . APPROVE OTHER SIGNATUREISI: ACTION OF BOARD ON January 23, 1990 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER VOTE OF SUPERV190RS 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES; NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. CC: Health Services Director ATTESTED County Administrator PHIL BATCH OR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF County Administrator SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Health Services Department Drug Abuse Program Administration BY ,DEPUTY M382/7-83 Page 2 - of care, which is based on the high acuity of the patients, must be implemented. The policy will be applied to voluntary clients and will be implemented to the extent that resources are available. You"r Board also requested a progress report on the program development and start-up phase of Sojourne Community Counseling Center which is located in West County. The most primary start-up problems centered around the need to develop a core staff of drug abuse professionals who could do two very difficult tasks : provide on-going clinical services to patients while at the same time working on program design, program development, team building, and community outreach. Over the past month we have made appreciable progress in accomplishing these tasks . A new Drug Program Supervisor, Ms . Adanna Henry, has been hired to head up this complex and challenging task. In addition, three new core staff members have been brought on board to provide services to clients while actively participating in complex program development activities . Since the inception of the program in August of 1989 the staff have served over 125 individual clients; provided important community prevention services; provided critical intervention services for pregnant women who are drug dependent; provided prevention and intervention services for residents who have the AIDS virus or are are at high risk of contracting it; acted as a very important community resource; and, provided valuable insight and assistance into West County and-,Countywide planning process . In short, the program has, within its very short history, given the community hope that drug free communities can be a reality.