UCLA researchers are evaluating L.A. drug cente

Friday, November 22, 1996

DRUGS:

Phase I of project shows benefits of enhanced treatment

By Kathryn Combs

Daily Bruin Contributor

Today, it seems as if drug use is almost as commonplace as
cigarette smoking. From the media to the streets, and among
everyone from the stars of Hollywood to the homeless, drug use
seems to be more of an epidemic than a mere addiction.

Los Angeles, once termed "sin city," has to this day kept its
national reputation as a major center of drug use.

According to Kiku Annon, a project director at the UCLA Drug
Abuse Research Center, the use of some drugs has increased while
others have decreased.

"From 1995 to 1996, … the only thing that has been increasing
has been methamphetamines," said Annon.

"Treatment admits (so far for 1996) are up from ’95. However,
1994 was down … people demanding treatment are getting it. The
only thing that seems to be increasing over the last few years has
been the treatment for stimulants."

In response to this, researchers at UCLA have concluded the
first phase of the L.A. Treatment Enhancement Program. Phase I
consisted of an evaluative study determining the effectiveness and
accessibility of drug care treatment in the Los Angeles area. The
now ongoing Phases II and III include further investigation of the
effects of extended outreach on more problematic drug users, as
well as the effects of cutting Social Security benefits for ex-drug
users.

The L.A. Treatment Enhancement Program, which began in 1991, is
designed to evaluate and improve the delivery of drug treatment
services to clients in cities with severe drug related problems,
such as L.A.

Part of a national program surveying eight major centers of drug
use, the L.A. Target Cities Project was awarded approximately $4
million per year for the first three consecutive years. These
monies were then allocated to 17 outpatient programs, two perinatal
centers and five community resource centers in the Los Angeles
area.

This comparative long-term study was started by Dr. M. Douglas
Anglin, the director of the UCLA Drug Abuse Research Center.

As the principal investigator, Anglin reflected on the findings
of the first phase of the project.

"We found that when you look at people in treatment programs
that are enhanced compared to people in programs that aren’t … at
six months there were much better outcomes," said Anglin. "The
investment seemed to be worth it."

However, he continued to say that although patient outcomes were
improved at the six-month period, at the 24 month period this
difference in outcomes seemed to disappear.

The first phase of the program consisted of a three-year trial
comparing the outcomes of drug users in programs that were enhanced
by extra funding from the L.A. project with normal rehabilitation
programs.

"All groups were much better after treatment than before," said
Anglin, stressing that individuals going through any type of
rehabilitation were reaping obvious benefits.

"The evaluation was secondary; the purpose (of the initial three
years of the program)was to do a research demonstration to fund
these services," Anglin continued.

He noted that research projects like this have been tried
before, but that sources willing to fund such programs were
frequently unavailable.

According to the UCLA Drug Abuse Research Center’s executive
summary report on the outcomes of the Target Cities Project, three
categories were evaluated: treatment retention, relapse to drug and
alcohol use and its relationship to criminal activity.

Based on the results of Phase I, researchers concluded that
patients involved with the enhanced rehabilitation programs were no
more likely to complete treatment than their counterparts. In fact,
clients involved in the more expensive programs were more likely to
spend a greater number of weeks in treatment with no effects on the
outcome of treatment.

The study also found that, compared to patients in other
programs, clients in the enhanced program were less likely to
relapse. Researchers also determined that clients in the target
cities programs had a lower rate of criminal activity during and
after treatment.

In addition to the program’s immediate goal of social research,
the program was also able to have an impact on the personal lives
of patients.

"(There was) less drug use and … slightly more employment and
better life satisfaction reported by patients," Anglin said.