Access To Recovery

Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (SAMHSA/CSAT) Access to Recovery (ATR) grants provide funding for voucher programs for substance abuse clinical treatment and recovery support services. Hawaii’s ATR Ohana Project is designed to:
1) provide client choice among treatment and recovery support service providers, 2) expand access to a comprehensive array of treatment and recovery support options (including faith-and culture-based programmatic options), and 3) increase substance abuse treatment capacity. Monitoring outcomes, tracking costs, and preventing waste, fraud and abuse to ensure accountability and effectiveness in the use of Federal funds are also important elements of the ATR Ohana Project.

A major goal of the ATR Ohana Project is to ensure that clients have a genuine, free, and independent choice among a network of eligible providers. ATR Ohana staff develop provider networks that offer an array of treatment and recovery support services that can be expected to result in cost-effective, successful outcomes for the largest number of people.

As a returning ATR II grantee, Hawaii is required to enhance or expand efforts in the proposed geographic area, client population, services provided, or any other component during ATR III (ATR Ohana) that was not included in the previous ATR II grant.

As of February 2009, approximately 1.89 million men and women have been deployed to serve in support of overseas contingency operations, including Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Individuals returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are at increased risk for suffering post-traumatic stress and other related disorders. Experts estimate that up to one-third of returning veterans will need mental health and/or substance abuse treatment and related services. In addition, the family members of returning veterans have an increased need for related support services. To address these concerns, ATR Ohana is committed to assisting Deployed Veterans, Military, National Guard, Reserves and their families who experience substance use disorders with their unique needs.

What’s New

$11.4 MILLION AWARDED TO HAWAI’I DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH THROUGH 2010 ACCESS TO RECOVERY (ATR) GRANT

HONOLULU – The Hawai’i State Department of Health’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division has been awarded over $11.4 million dollars in funding over four (4) years by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (SAMHSA/CSAT). The funding will support the Access to Recovery Project, “ATR Ohana”, which provides vouchers to people with drug and alcohol problems to pay for needed treatment and recovery support services.

The ATR Ohana is designed to provide clients with their choice of substance abuse clinical treatment and recovery support service providers; expand access to a comprehensive array of services including faith-based and culturally-based program options; and increase the capacity of the recovery-oriented system of care. The project provides funding for “wrap-around” recovery services such as housing, child care, self-help and support groups, cultural and spiritual support, and treatment for co-occurring mental disorders.

Plans for the new grant period will include an expansion of the O‘ahu-based ATR Ohana program to one neighbor island. The funds will also be used to increase program access to substance-abusing adolescents and extended family members of treatment clients, improving recovery efforts for entire families. In the past, the program was available to eligible substance abusing adults in need of treatment, those participating in treatment for substance abuse, and those discharged from treatment within the last two years.

In 2007, Hawai‘i was previously awarded $2.75 million per year for three (3) years through the ATR Grant Program, and this year the state is one of 30 jurisdictions awarded funding for 2010 to 2014.

Further information about ATR Ohana services and eligibility, as well as application forms to become an ATR Ohana treatment and recovery support service provider, are available on-line at the Hawai‘i State Department of Health’s website at: https://health.hawaii.gov/substance-abuse/atr/about-atr or by calling Dr. JoHanna Mechergui, ATR Service Developer, at 808-692-7512.

ATR Ohana and Hawaii National Guard Operation Immersion

Hawaii Department of Health
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division
601 Kamokila Blvd. Room 360
Kapolei, Hawai’i, 96707
(808) 692-7506