The North Carolina General Assembly asked the North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) to convene a Task Force to study substance abuse services in the state (SL-2007-323 §10.53A) and to present an interim report with recommendations to the 2008 North Carolina General Assembly and the final report and recommendations to the 2009 North Carolina General Assembly. The Task Force was co-chaired byDwayne Book,MD,MedicalDirector, FellowshipHall; Representative Verla Insko, Representative District 56, North Carolina House ofRepresentatives; and Senator Martin L. Nesbitt Jr., JD, Senator District 49, North Carolina Senate. It included 51 other members including other legislators, state and local agency officials, substance abuse providers, other health professionals, consumers, educators, and other knowledgeable and interested individuals. Inaddition, the work of the Task Force was guided by a 12-member Steering Committee.
Most of the Task Force’s work focused on developing a comprehensive system of care to provide evidence-based interventions based on a person’s need. This comprehensive system begins with a strong prevention effort, targeted at adolescents and young adults. Targeting youth and young adults will help reduce the number of people who later become addicted, as evidence shows that people who initiate substance use in childhood or adolescence are more likely to later become addicted. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), communities can save four to five dollars for every one dollar they spend on substance abuse prevention.
Below is a link to the full report.
