Drug czar announces $22.8 million in grant funds

WASHINGTON -- Drug Czar John Walters announced Wednesday that $22.8 million in federal aid will go to Missouri for a drug treatment voucher program, one of 14 states and a tribal council to receive grants for such programs.

The money will be paid out over three years in the form of vouchers that can be redeemed for drug and alcohol addiction programs, as well as support services like transportation to treatment centers and child care.

The voucher system could be implemented in as soon as a month, said Michael Conty, director of Missouri's Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse.

The federal aid does not directly increase the number of beds or treatment slots, but state and federal officials hope that the money from the vouchers will indirectly provide more capital for expansion of existing treatment programs.

Walters, who directs the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said the funding will help 5,000 people in Missouri get treatment through secular and faith-based institutions. Walters said the vouchers are aimed at those who cannot afford to pay on their own, especially those without health insurance. Nationwide, Walters said the goal was to help an additional 100,000 people without health coverage obtain addiction services.

Walters made the announcement at Queen of Peace Treatment Center in St. Louis, a St. Louis Catholic Charities affiliate which provides services for addicted women and their children, many of whom are homeless.

Here's how the voucher system will work: An adult who screens positive for addiction will be issued a voucher that lists at least two places he or she can go for assessment. After completing the assessment, the person gets a treatment voucher that can be redeemed at a government-approved treatment program, based on the person's needs and preferences. The organizations providing the treatment and assessment issue any necessary vouchers for supplemental services.

Conty said that the money will help Missourians get better access to treatment in rural areas as well as St. Louis and Kansas City.

"One of the problems we've had in the past in outstate Missouri is having a limited amount of dollars," Conty said. "This will help our providers expand their satellite offices and maybe help create services that have not been available in the past."

Last year, 38,610 people in Missouri checked into drug and alcohol treatment programs, according to data from the Office of National Drug Control Policy.