RD419 - Substance Use Disorder Services Council Report on Treatment Programs For FY 2022 (Code of Virginia § 2.2-2697) – December 1, 2022


Executive Summary:

This report summarizes information from the four executive branch agencies that provide substance use disorder treatment and recovery services: The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS), the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), the Department of Corrections (DOC) and the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS). These agencies share the common goals of increasing the health and wellness of Virginia’s individuals, families, and communities, increasing access to substance use disorder treatment and recovery services, and reducing the impact of those with a substance use disorder and involvement in the criminal justice system. All the agencies included in this report are invested in providing evidence-based treatment and recovery services to their populations within the specific constraints each has on its ability to provide these services. In this report, the following information is detailed concerning each of these four agencies’ substance use disorder treatment programs:

1. Amount of funding spent for the program in FY 2022.

2. Unduplicated number of individuals who received services in FY 2022.

3. Extent to which program objectives have been accomplished as reflected by an evaluation of outcome measures.

4. Identifying the most effective substance use disorder treatment.

5. How effectiveness could be improved.

6. An estimate of the cost effectiveness of these programs.

7. Funding recommendations based on these analyses.

As used in this document, “treatment" means those services directed toward individuals with identified substance use disorders and does not include prevention services. This report provides information for FY 2022, which covers the period from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.

Treatment Programs for FY 2022

This report provides focused data on specific outcomes. Every opioid overdose death represents many affected individuals, and every individual who commits a crime associated with substance use disorder represents many others who are also involved.(*1) Many of these individuals are struggling with functional impairment due to their substance use disorder and this is reflected in decreased workforce participation(*2), negative impact on the economy(*3), the potential for dissemination of blood borne diseases(*4), and recidivism.
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(*1) Virginia Department of Health: Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. (2021). Fatal Drug Overdose Quarterly Report. Retrieved from https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/medical-examiner/forensic-epidemiology/
(*2) Over the last 15 years, LFP fell more in counties where more opioids were prescribed." Alan B. Krueger; BPEA Article; Brookings Institute; Thursday, September 7, 2017; “Where have all the workers gone? An inquiry into the decline of the U.S. labor force participation rate"; https://www.brookings.edu/bpea-articles/where-have-all-the-workers-gone-an-inquiry-into-the-decline-of-the-u-s-labor-force-participation-rate/
(*3) Midgette, Gregory, Steven Davenport, Jonathan P. Caulkins, and Beau Kilmer, What America's Users Spend on Illegal Drugs, 2006–2016. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2019. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR3140.html. Also available in print form.
(*4) County-Level Vulnerability Assessment for Rapid Dissemination of HIV or HCV Infections Among Persons Who Inject Drugs, United States; Buchanan et. al. MJAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes: November 1, 2016 - Volume 73 - Issue 3 - p 323–331 doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000001098 Epidemiology and Prevention