Use of Substance Abuse Services by Veterans after a Hurricane

Current research on post-disaster substance abuse is limited and has not produced consistent findings. While new onset of substance use is less likely, those who had significant problems with substance use before a disaster are also likely to have problems after a disaster. Research conducted by SAMHSA suggests that the rates of substance use are greater in a veterans' population than in the general public. Because hurricanes strike with seasonal regularity, knowledge of veterans' need for behavioral health services is useful when planning. This presentation describes the effects of the 2004-2005 hurricane seasons on outpatient alcohol and substance abuse utilization among Florida veterans with and without PTSD. Data from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) SAS Outpatient Medical Datasets was used to conduct a retrospective comparison of 153,091 Florida resident veterans with at least one outpatient mental health visit within the VHA during Fiscal Years 2004-2006. Current Procedural Technology (CPT) codes for mental health encounters for primary diagnoses ICD-9-CM: 290-319. Overall, veterans accounted for 1.5 million mental health visits. Of these visits, 118,636 had substance abuse and 140,545 had alcohol disorder as the primary visit code. Within the hurricane paths, PTSD plus substance abuse and PTSD plus alcohol disorder visits decreased (0.16/mo (p<0.114) and 0.25/mo (p<0.001)) during the study period. PTSD outpatient visits without substance abuse or alcohol disorder codes did not significantly change. It is unclear whether these decreases are due to psychological, environmental or care facility changes. Further research to protect these vulnerable populations and understand implications are warranted.