Adolescent Residential Addiction Treatment In The US: Uneven Access, Waitlists, And High Costs

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Addiction Medicine
• Healthcare Accessibility

Background:

• Adolescent drug overdose deaths are rising in the U.S.
• Residential treatment is an option for adolescent substance use disorders.
• Limited data exists on treatment accessibility and cost.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the accessibility and cost of residential addiction treatment for adolescents.
• To identify barriers to care for adolescent opioid use disorder.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's treatment locator.
• Analyzed search engine advertising data to identify facilities.
• Conducted phone surveys with facilities, role-playing as family members.

Main Results:

• 160 facilities identified for adolescent opioid use disorder treatment.
• 54.4% had immediate bed availability; mean wait time was 28.4 days.
• Mean daily cost was $878; for-profit facilities were triple the cost of non-profits.
• Half of facilities required a mean upfront payment of $28,731.
• No facilities found for adolescents in 10 states and Washington, D.C.

Conclusions:

• Access to adolescent residential addiction treatment in the U.S. is significantly limited.
• High costs and long wait times present major barriers to care.
• Geographic disparities in facility availability were noted.