Teen substance-abuse services found lacking

The availability of services to treat adolescent alcohol and drug abuse is poor in Nevada, a UNLV research organization has found.

Vince Juaristi, director of the Nevada Institute for Children, told members of the Commission on Mental Health and Mental Retardation Friday that more funding is desperately needed to supply residential treatment beds to chemically dependant teenagers.

The NIC surveyed 5,000 families with teenagers, ages 15-19, and examined existing programs in the state's 17 counties. Only eight counties had some form of adolescent treatment available.

Of 78,114 adolescents surveyed in Clark County over the past three months, 12 percent were deemed in need of residential treatment. Only 10 beds, however, were available at the time of the survey.

"In other states, we are ranked in the bottom five of the worst for programs," Juaristi said. "We have told kids for so long not to do drugs and help is available. But it isn't. It's like calling 911 and being put on hold."

Juaristi said the Legislature approved only $849,376 for adolescent alcohol and drug abuse treatment during its last session. Clark County got $331,517; Washoe County received $313,760 and the rest of the state got $204,099.

The NIC plans to lobby the Legislature, which reconvenes in January, for $2.1 million for both treatment and accountability costs. Juaristi said this amount could increase by 10 percent once the first-draft survey results are finalized.

Maureen Brower, government affairs coordinator at WestCare Inc., 401 Martin Luther King Blvd., said she wasn't surprised by the state's poor showing. Their facility has only 40 adult care beds and 15 male adolescent beds at its Harris Springs Ranch facility on Mount Charleston.

Like other adolescent substance abuse treatment centers, they have no residential beds available to teenage women in Clark County, Brower said.

Adolescent women are referred to the SafeWind Center in Reno.

"We get between three and five referrals from Las Vegas a month," said Denise Everett, executive director at SafeWind. "All we have now are two beds for females and six for males."

Thomas Maroney, president of the BEST Coalition (Bringing Everyone's Strength Together), which teaches drug awareness training, said teenagers in need of treatment end up in Juvenile Court. He said a recent Family Youth Services survey found that 28 percent of youth offenders were either on drugs or alcohol, when they committed a crime.

"The state Legislature needs to develop some sensitivity to adolescent issues," Maroney said. "I think they care, but don't understand how prevalent the problem really is. The Legislature needs to break loose with more money."

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