Few options for drug treatment

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - After three people overdosed on heroin last weekend, officials are raising concerns about the lack of treatment for the drug in our area.

The only type of substance abuse treatment available in Tippecanoe County, and most of the surrounding counties, is outpatient therapy. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Web site, the closest place to receive inpatient drug treatment is a 38 mile drive away at minimum.

If you're looking for a hospital inpatient program to treat addiction, your closest option is in Kokomo, nearly 40 miles from Lafayette. If you'd prefer a residential program, it's 43 miles to Danville, Illinois. A long-term stay requires you to travel at least as far as Carmel.

"In terms of treatment, there's not too many available here," said Barbara Webster, President of the Board of Directors for the SURF Center in Lafayette.

Webster said she's often asked to suggest treatment centers for drug addicts who come in. She said for those who need immediate attention, there aren't many options.

"Somebody needing treatment is usually in pretty bad shape, and we'll give them information, but highly recommend they go to the hospital," she said.

However, Webster said she's optimistic about recent news that a new hospital for adult psychiatric care and addiction is scheduled to open this year in Lafayette.

"My understanding was that it was going to be mental health and addiction for adults, with plans in the future for youth, which is really needed around here," she said.

Officials from the facility's company, Springstone, Inc., did not return calls about the facility's services. But the company's existing center in Newburgh, Indiana, lists inpatient addiction treatment as one of its services.

Addicts can utilize the SURF Center for Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings throughout the week, or simply a "safe location" away from temptation of drugs or alcohol. But Webster said most of the people who frequent the SURF Center have already received treatment elsewhere.

Tippecanoe County's Chief Probation Officer, Kipp Scott, said two heroin-related deaths last weekend have shaken his department. He called heroin "one of the most disturbing and destructive drugs we are dealing with now," and said his department often doesn't know someone has a problem until they overdose or test positive in a drug test.

He said many of his clients have needed extra help to kick a heroin addiction, and some have had success with the treatment drug Suboxone.

To find a drug addiction treatment location near you, go to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's treatment center locator at http://dasis3.samhsa.gov/Default.aspx .