The Interplay of National, State, and Local Policy in Financing Care for Drug-Affected Women and Children in California

Abstract

Recent prevalence studies in California indicate that perinatal alcohol and other drug use remains a serious issue for large numbers of women and their children. In response, national, state and local policymakers have taken steps to address the problem, including increasing funding for treatment services. To gauge the impact of policy attention to this problem, the Center for the Vulnerable Child at Children's Hospital, Oakland, California, surveyed state and local administrators of programs that serve drug-affected women and children in California. Information collected included the scope of program services, indicators of access, and sources of program funding. Surveyed programs were funded through federal, state, county, and foundation sources. Despite new policy and funding initiatives to serve this population, the study found wide gaps between the kinds of services that are believed to be appropriate for drug-affected women and children and the service system that currently exists. Problems in access to care included long waiting times, exclusion of women from programs based on their pregnancy or parenting status, and exclusion of drug-exposed children from programs with medically based eligihility criteria. Program funding sources appeared to impede access, as traditional federal, state, and county funding sources do not support programs that are comprehensive, family-centered, and easily accessible to these women and children. Analysis of the study data suggests that policymakers consider new approaches to promote access to care for these under served women and children, particularly now as Congress and the states redesign health and social service funding mechanisms and delivery systems.

Keywords:

• children
• perinatal drug use
• public policy
• treatment delivery systems
• women