Implementation Guidelines - Federal Transit Administration - U.S. ...

10 weeks, with most sessions scheduled in
the evenings (generally three sessions per
week). These programs often require some
family involvement. Costs are generally
one-third to one-half of intensive inpatient
treatment.
Outpatient Follow-Up Services.
Patients discharged from intensive treatment
may need further help. This may be an
outpatient follow-up program lasting several
months to a year or more. One visit per
week is typical. Many inpatient and
intensive outpatient treatment plans include
weekly follow-up sessions at no additional
cost.
Your SAP will develop a treatment
program that best meets the needs of the
employee in a cost-effective manner. The
SAP should take the following issues into
consideration when evaluating a treatment
program’s effectiveness and making a
treatment referral.
• Cost. High cost does not guarantee
effectiveness. Conduct a cost
comparison of programs. Cost
disparities may result due to the
number of professionals per bed,
hours of one-on-one counseling and
group therapy, days of treatment,
amount of aftercare counseling, or
extent of other medical resources
utilized.
• Reputation. Ask other substance
abuse professionals and former
program participants for their candid
opinions.
• Staff qualifications. A quality
program should have a balance of
Chapter 9. Substance Abuse
Professionals, Rehabilitation, and
Treatment
professionals. Nurses, physicians,
psychologists, social workers, and
formerly dependent counselors
should staff intensive inpatient
programs. There should be medical
management of detoxification. All
professional staff should be statecertified
treatment specialists or
counselors interning for certification.
• “Whole person” approach.
Chemical dependency is caused by
many factors – childhood
development, psychological
instability, heredity, social
environment, and lifestyle behaviors.
A quality program should meet all
needs – physical (diet and exercise),
social (communication skills),
psychological (individual and group
counseling), intellectual (education
and awareness sessions), and
spiritual.
Although treatment and rehabilitation is
not required under the FTA regulations, a
policy, which tries to reclaim human
resources, should be carefully considered.
At first glance, it may seem inappropriate to
allow anyone to work again who has
demonstrated a high-risk behavior such as
drug or alcohol abuse. However, trained,
skilled labor is a valuable resource, which
demographic studies indicate may become
increasingly difficult to obtain and retain.
You should consider employee replacement
costs, as well as the impacts on work
productivity and morale as you evaluate the
cost-effectiveness of rehabilitation services.
9-10 August 2002