Description

Substance abuse is associated with a wide spectrum of medical disorders, including infections due to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the hepatitis C virus (HCV) as well as sexually transmitted infections. Despite the seriousness of this problem, there has not been a systematic investigation of infectious disease services in the substance abuse treatment health care delivery system. This is a study of policies and services in Community Treatment Programs (CTPs) related to these infections. The study surveys CTP administrators and direct care providers and reviews policies related to clinical guidelines and reimbursement policies through a survey of administrators of state substance abuse agencies or health departments. In addition to filling the information gap about available services for infectious disease in substance abuse treatment programs, this study will provide a basis for later studies on the efficiency of these services and of health outcomes.