Geographic and Racial/Ethnic Differences in Access to Methamphetamine Detoxification Services, United States, 2021

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Health Equity

Background:

• Methamphetamine (MA) detoxification is crucial for treatment retention and success.
• Understanding the geographic distribution and racial/ethnic access to MA detox services is vital for policy development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the geographic distribution of methamphetamine-specific detox services.
• To investigate disparities in access to these services based on race and ethnicity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Tracking Repository for 2021 detox facility data (N=2346).
• Integrated US Census Bureau data to determine racial/ethnic composition (White, Black, Hispanic) of census block groups.
• Employed logistic regression to model methamphetamine detox availability, predicting based on Black and Hispanic population percentages, adjusting for covariates, and defining state as a random effect.

Main Results:

• 60% of detox facilities offered methamphetamine-specific services; 16 states had fewer than 10 such facilities.
• Predicted probability of MA detox availability was 60% in areas with 0-9% Black residents, decreasing to 46% in areas with 90-100% Black residents.
• Predicted probability of MA detox availability was 61% in areas with 0-9% Hispanic residents, decreasing to 30% in areas with 90-100% Hispanic residents.

Conclusions:

• Significant disparities exist in access to methamphetamine detox services, with lower availability in predominantly Black and Hispanic communities.
• Findings underscore critical health disparities, residential segregation, and systemic exclusion of minority communities from healthcare.
• Results emphasize the need for policies to ensure equitable access to addiction treatment services across all populations.