The federal government has awarded the Santa Clara County
Department of Alcohol and Drug Services a $1.2 million grant to
enhance services for clients participating in treatment through the
Dual Diagnosis Drug Treatment Court for co-occurring substance
abuse and mental health disorders.
The federal government has awarded the Santa Clara County Department of Alcohol and Drug Services a $1.2 million grant to enhance services for clients participating in treatment through the Dual Diagnosis Drug Treatment Court for co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders.
The Dual Diagnosis Drug Treatment Court, established in Santa Clara County in 1998, is part of the Superior Court of California. It was the first court of its kind in California to direct defendants into integrated treatment for substance abuse and mental health problems as an alternative to incarceration and is one of the largest mental health treatment courts in the country.
Judge Stephen Manley, who presides over the Dual Diagnosis Drug Treatment Court, noted that “to date, this program has shown real promise. There are presently 308 graduates of the program, with a very low re-arrest rate, who continue to participate in community treatment.”
A recent report showed that the savings to the County, based on these defendants receiving treatment rather than incarceration, were nearly $3 million. The grant was awarded by the federal government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The funding will be distributed over three years in annual payments of $400,000.
About 275 more clients will be served during the three-year funding cycle. The money will allow the Department of Alcohol & Drug services to hire a full-time case manager to help coordinate more specialized and intensive treatment for clients participating in the program. The funding will also pay for additional residential treatment beds and expand outpatient services, giving clients greater access to psychiatric services and psychotropic medications.
The Department of Alcohol and Drug Services is part of the Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital System, owned and operated by the County of Santa Clara.
