The Dasis Report (Drug and Alcohol Services Information System)
November 11, 2002

Characteristics of Substance Abuse Facilities Owned by the Department of Veterans Affairs: 2000

In Brief
  • In 2000, the typical daily number of clients enrolled in VA-owned facilities was about three times higher than the number enrolled in non-VA facilities

  • Almost 93 percent of VA-owned facilities were located in or operated by hospitals compared with 15 percent of non-VA-owned facilities

  • An average of 33 percent of substance abuse treatment clients enrolled in VA-owned facilities were being treated for alcohol abuse only compared with an average of 25 percent of clients in non-VA-owned facilities
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In 2000, 152 facilities owned by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) responded to the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS). N-SSATS is an annual survey of all facilities in the United States, both public and private, that provide substance abuse treatment. This report compares characteristics of VA-owned facilities with the 13,276 non-VA-owned facilities.

Size and Focus
Based on the October 1, 2000 census of facilities, the daily median number of clients enrolled in VA-owned facilities was 105 compared with a median of 36 clients for non-VA-owned facilities.

Although VA-owned facilities made up only 1 percent of all facilities in N-SSATS, they accounted for more than 3 percent of the total reported client census.

Almost 93 percent of VA-owned facilities were located in or operated by hospitals compared with 15 percent of non-VA-owned facilities (data not shown). This is reflected in the fact that 47 percent of VA-owned facilities had a general health care focus compared with 2 percent of non-VA-owned facilities (Figure 1). VA-owned facilities were less likely than non-VA-owned facilities to have a substance abuse only focus (29 percent vs. 63 percent).

Figure 1. Focus of Facility, by Type of Facility: 2000
Figure 1. Focus of Facility, by Type of Facility: 2000
Source: 2000 SAMHSA National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment (N-SSATS).


Facilities in N-SSATS were asked to report the percentage of clients enrolled in three mutually exclusive treatment categories: alcohol abuse only, drug abuse only, and abuse of both drugs and alcohol. On average, 33 percent of substance abuse treatment clients enrolled in VA-owned facilities were in treatment for alcohol abuse only compared with an average of 25 percent of clients in non-VA-owned facilities (data not shown). The average percentage of drug abuse only clients was lower for VA-owned facilities than for non-VA-owned facilities (15 percent vs. 20 percent).

Treatment Settings and Programs
Compared with non-VA-owned facilities, a larger percentage of VA-owned facilities offered inpatient care (48 percent vs. 8 percent), residential care (40 percent vs. 27 percent), and outpatient care (97 percent vs. 81 percent) (data not shown). Among inpatient programs, a higher percentage of VA-owned facilities than non-VA-owned facilities provided detoxification services (61 percent vs. 41 percent) (Figure 2). VA-owned facilities were less likely than non-VA-owned facilities to provide inpatient rehabilitation (3 percent vs. 8 percent). Among outpatient programs, a larger percentage of VA-owned facilities than non-VA-owned facilities offered ambulatory detoxification (56 percent vs. 16 percent), intensive outpatient treatment (71 percent vs. 56 percent), and partial hospitalization programs (44 percent vs. 19 percent) (Figure 3).


Figure 2. Treatment Programs Offered in an Inpatient Setting, by Facility Type: 2000 Figure 3. Treatment Programs Offered in an Outpatient Setting, by Facility Type: 2000
Figure 2. Treatment Programs Offered in an Inpatient Setting, by Facility Type: 2000
Figure 3. Treatment Programs Offered in an Outpatient Setting, by Facility Type: 2000
Source: 2000 SAMHSA National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment (N-SSATS).


Types of Services
Of the 35 services and programs for special groups that were included in the N-SSATS survey, VA-owned facilities offered an average of 23 different services compared with an average of 16 services among non-VA-owned facilities (data not shown).

VA-owned facilities were more than twice as likely as non-VA-owned facilities to offer hepatitis testing (94 percent vs. 24 percent), HIV testing (93 percent vs. 33 percent), TB screening (91 percent vs. 37 percent), pharmacotherapy (91 percent vs. 41 percent), and mental health assessments (89 percent vs. 44 percent) (Table 1). VA-owned facilities were less likely to offer child care (2 percent vs. 10 percent), programs or groups for gays and lesbians (11 percent vs. 15 percent), and programs or groups for women only (27 percent vs. 38 percent) (data not shown).

Table 1. Percentage of Facilities Offering Selected Services: 2000
Table 1. Percentage of Facilities Offering Selected Services: 2000
Source: 2000 SAMHSA National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment (N-SSATS).


VA-owned facilities were more likely than non-VA-owned facilities to dispense methadone or LAAM (22 percent vs. 9 percent) (data not shown).1 VA-owned facilities were less likely than non-VA-owned facilities to have a special program for drunk driving offenders (22 percent vs. 36 percent).

Hospital Facilities
Since a much larger percentage of VA-owned facilities than non-VA-owned facilities were located in hospitals, a separate analysis compared the 141 VA-owned hospitals with the 1,958 non-VA-owned hospitals. When only hospital facilities were compared, the differences between VA- and non-VA-owned facilities were generally smaller but still noteworthy. For example, mental health assessments were offered by 88 percent of VA-owned hospital facilities compared with 64 percent of non-VA-owned hospital facilities, and pharmacotherapy was offered by 94 percent of VA-owned hospital facilities compared with 72 percent of non-VA-owned hospital facilities (Table 1).

Of the 35 services and programs for special groups that were included in the N-SSATS survey, VA-owned hospitals offered an average of 22 different services compared with an average of 18 services among non-VA-owned hospitals (data not shown).

The median number of clients enrolled in substance abuse treatment in VA-owned hospitals on any given day in 2000 was 106 compared with a median of 30 clients in non-VA-owned hospital facilities (data not shown).

End Note
1LAAM (levo alphacetylmethadol) is a drug similar to methadone with a longer duration of action.

The Drug and Alcohol Services Information System (DASIS) is an integrated data system maintained by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). One component of DASIS is the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS), an annual survey of all facilities in the United States, both public and private, that provide substance abuse treatment. N-SSATS was formerly known as the Uniform Facility Data Set (UFDS).

The DASIS Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA; Synectics for Management Decisions, Inc., Arlington, Virginia; and RTI, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Information and data for this report are based on data reported to N-SSATS for the survey reference date October 1, 2000.

Access the latest N-SSATS/UFDS reports at
www.oas.samhsa.gov/dasis.htm

Access the latest N-SSATS/UFDS public use files at:
www.oas.samhsa.gov/SAMHDA.htm

Other substance abuse reports are available at:
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov

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This page was last updated on December 31, 2008.