ADMS Block Grant: Women's Set-Aside Does Not Assure Drug Treatment for Pregnant Women
HRD-91-80
Published: May 06, 1991. Publicly Released: Jun 21, 1991.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the availability of drug abuse treatment for women, particularly pregnant women, focusing on: (1) the barriers pregnant women and mothers faced when seeking treatment; (2) whether Congress had the information it needed to oversee state use of the women's set-aside to meet women's treatment needs; (3) whether the states used the women's set-aside to provide for the specific treatment of drug-abusing women, pregnant women, and mothers with young children; and (4) available drug treatment for such women in seven states.
Recommendations
Matter for Congressional Consideration
| Matter | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Should Congress decide that pregnant women and mothers with young children need special funding priority for drug treatment, it may wish to consider amending the ADMS women's set-aside so that states are required to spend a certain percentage of the set-aside exclusively on treatment services for pregnant women and mothers with young children. | The ADAMHA reorganization legislation, recently passed, specifies amounts to be expended by states. | |
| Should Congress decide that pregnant women and mothers with young children need special funding priority for drug treatment, it may wish to consider defining what constitutes a program on service specifically designed for women, pregnant women, or mothers with young children. | The ADAMHA reorganization legislation defines such services. |
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Human Services | To better ensure that Congress is given a clear picture of how the funds for the ADMS Block Grant women's set-aside are used, the Secretary of Health and Human Services should direct the Administrator of the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration and the Director of the Office for Treatment Improvement to specify annual reporting requirements for the states in a manner that allows for the national aggregation of reported data. States should be required to report on: (1) all treatment programs for pregnant women and women with children and new or expanded treatment programs or services for women, whether women in general, pregnant women, or women with dependent children; and (2) the number of drug-abusing pregnant women and women with dependent children. |
This recommendation is addressed by the ADAMHA Reorganization Act, Public Law 102-321.
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Topics
Substance abuseSubstance abuse treatmentGrants to statesHealth care costsHealth care servicesPregnancyPrenatal carePublic assistance programsState programsWomen