3017.0: Monday, October 22, 2001: 12:30 PM-2:00 PM

Oral Session

Identifying and Addressing Issues for Low-Income or Incarcerated Women Trying to Access and Utilize Drug Treatiment, Health and Social Services

Women are a rapidly increasing group within the substance abuse and prison populations. The problems of drug use and criminal activities also contribute to the growing demand for foster care, welfare, and other social and health services. And yet, women are one of the most underserved groups within many of these systems. Their crimes are often not as violent or serious as those committed by men, so they are less likely to receive attention from the criminal justice system. In many treatment settings, women are belittled and told they are not in treatment for the "right" reasons. Women also present different needs than men and many programs do not have the capabilities to address these issues. The foster care system has been overwhelmed with the number of infants and children being placed into foster care because of parental drug use. Child welfare workers were not traditionally trained in addressing substance abuse issues when trying to develop reunification plans for families. In addition, women are often unable to express their needs to those who could provide them with assistance. This session will discuss women specific issues and needs regarding access and utilization of the criminal justice, drug treatment, health and human service systems. Participants will also describe some of the programs designed to meet the needs of women, and give research results from several studies designed to assess the effectiveness of women-specific programs.
See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement.
Learning Objectives: 1) Describe characteristics and major issues for incarcerated and newly released women. 2) Discuss programs and strategies for linking incarcerated and newly released women and their children to treatment and other services. 3) Identify components and partnerships needed in a community-based comprehensive system of care for incarcerated women. 4)Identify barriers to drug treatment services among pregnant women. 5) Discuss policy implications in terms of ensuring a comprehensive system of care for women who use illegal drugs. 6) Identify outcomes for measuring the impact of local programs and policies. 7) Discuss future initiatives and their potential impact on women's services.
Organizer(s):Monica Chan, MBA
12:30 PMSan Francisco Women's Treatment Network: A new approach to probation
Rosemary Prem, Monica Chan, MBA, Tamara Revels, BA, Cheryl Marsh, BA, Patricia A. Hill, MPA, Joseph R. Guydish
12:50 PMOur Place, D.C.: One model for linking incarcerated women to community health services
Susan Galbraith, MSW
1:10 PMExtrinsic barriers to substance abuse treatment among drug dependent pregnant and parenting women: Implications for policy
Martha Jessup, RN, PhD
1:30 PMMeasuring the impact of drug treatment on demand for pregnant women
Ellen L. Wolfe, PNP, DrPH, Alice Gleghorn, PhD, Ann Santos, MPH, Thomas B. Davis, BS, Joseph R. Guydish
Sponsor:Community Health Planning and Policy Development
Cosponsors:Caucus on Refugee and Immigrant Health; Social Work; Socialist Caucus; Women's Caucus
CE Credits:CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work

The 129th Annual Meeting of APHA