Santa Cruz County Grand Jury • 2010-2011

How to Catch the RecoveryWave RecoveryWave.com

Published: April 26, 2011 42 pages
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Findings and Recommendations 9 findings

F1
The information included in the RecoveryWave.com web page describing each of the listed residential treatment facilities is incomplete, inconsistent, and contains inaccuracies. For instance, the information associated with some RTFs does not include a contact person, and some listings include fees but the stated fees are incorrect. In fact, for one treatment facility 38 ∫ Santa Cruz County Grand Jury Final Report 2009-2010 the fees were understated by $10,000. Updates are handled haphazardly. Some but not all information might be updated to reflect current circumstances. Information on two RTFs was left on the web site long after the facilities had closed. County Response: Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors – PARTIALLY AGREE The County Alcohol and Drug Program’s (ADP’s) Resource Directory was used as the source of information for RecoveryWave.com. ADP’s past practice has been to update the Resource Directory information annually and as specific notifications of changes are received. However, due to budget constraints and County hiring freezes, the position responsible for updating the Resource Directory was vacant for over a year. When the position was eventually filled in January 2010, one of the new staff member’s first projects was to update the resource directory, and this information was included in the RecoveryWave.com website. The County Alcohol and Drug Program intends to resume its practice of comprehensively updating the resource directory annually and as notifications of changes are received, and will share this information with the Commissioner who has volunteered to update the RecoveryWave.com website.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
The Health Services Agency of Santa Cruz County and The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission should review the RecoveryWave.com web site and verify the accuracy of the information provided by the Grand Jury on the residential treatment facilities for inclusion on the web site. They also should establish a clear strategy for ongoing, timely updates and corrections of RecoveryWave.com. County Response: Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors – HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED This recommendation has been implemented. Now that a long-term clerical vacancy has been filled, the County Alcohol and Drug Program has resumed its past practice of comprehensively updating the resource directory annually and as notifications of changes are received. This updating process relies on treatment programs to provide accurate information. These updates and changes are routinely incorporated into the RecoveryWave.com website by the Commissioner who has volunteered for this task.
F2
At present there is no system in place to periodically correct and update RecoveryWave.com. It is not clear whether this responsibility lies with ADAC or with HSA. Also, there currently is no system interface between the RecoveryWave.com web site and a resource directory maintained by HSA. County Response: Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors – DISAGREE As indicated above, after an extended vacancy in the position responsible for updating the Resource Directory, the County Alcohol and Drug Program has resumed periodic updates of the Resource Directory. Updates are shared with a member of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commissioner who has assumed the responsibility for updating the website content. Although it was the website creator’s intention that the website would replace the Resource Directory, the Resource Directory fills the need for a hard copy handout to professionals and members of the public.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
The Health Services Agency of Santa Cruz County and The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission should review the RecoveryWave.com web site and verify the accuracy of the information provided by the Grand Jury on the residential treatment facilities for inclusion on the web site. They also should establish a clear strategy for ongoing, timely updates and corrections of RecoveryWave.com. County Response: Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors – HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED This recommendation has been implemented. Now that a long-term clerical vacancy has been filled, the County Alcohol and Drug Program has resumed its past practice of comprehensively updating the resource directory annually and as notifications of changes are received. This updating process relies on treatment programs to provide accurate information. These updates and changes are routinely incorporated into the RecoveryWave.com website by the Commissioner who has volunteered for this task.
F3
Personnel not trained in the complex issues of alcohol and drug addiction answer calls on the 454-HELP line. Occasionally calls are transferred to experienced personnel. County Response: Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors – PARTIALLY AGREE Sufficient resources do not exist to have all calls responded to by trained clinicians. Most calls are handled by clerical staff, who are trained to respond to requests for basic information about treatment program services, contact information, etc. Calls requiring a clinical response are transferred to experienced clinical staff.
No recommendations for this finding
F4
The entire RecoveryWave.com web site is available in Spanish, except for the disclaimer. Again, these translations were accomplished by a few dedicated employees of HSA. The Grand Jury had the opportunity to ask about these translations during its survey of the RTFs. It appears that some of the translation needs editing and rewording. County Response: Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors – PARTIALLY AGREE HSA’s Spanish language Resource Directory listings were used in creating the Spanish version of RecoveryWave.com. Translation of original text created for the site was performed by a bilingual commissioner with the help of a Si Se Puede staffer. How to Catch the RecoveryWave ∫ 39 Disagreements on the quality or exactness of translations are not uncommon, and periodic review and updating of translations are useful. Endorsement and Disclaimer Part of the mission statement of ADAC is to promote “high quality public and private programs to eliminate alcohol and other drug abuse in the county.” To this end ADAC is enjoined to: “Encourage and educate the public to understand the nature of alcoholism and other drug dependencies and alcohol and other drug abuse programs; and encourage support throughout the county for development and implementation of effective alcohol and other drug prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery programs.” The Commission has responded to this mandate well with the development of RecoveryWave.com. ADAC promotes all programs, public and private, those with religious ties and those without, in an effort to serve as many people as possible. This is in keeping with the mission statement of HSA to promote community health in the public and private sectors. Thus, RTFs are listed on RecoveryWave.com as a service to the county without the intent to validate or endorse the programs. While the community service aspect of RecoveryWave.com is clearly mandated by HSA and ADAC, the County also needs to limit its exposure to legal liability. To that end RecoveryWave.com includes a link to a disclaimer found in small print at the bottom of the home page only. This disclaimer includes sections covering liability with the phrase “use at your own risk” with language releasing the County from fault. The disclaimer is in English only, even on the Spanish translation pages.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
HSA and ADAC should evaluate and, if necessary, revise the Spanish translations on RecoveryWave.com for best content and grammar. They also should provide a Spanish translation of HSA’s disclaimer. County Response: Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors – HAS NOT YET BEEN IMPLEMENTED BUT WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE FUTURE This recommendation will be implemented by October 1, 2010 or sooner.
F5
HSA and ADAC are actively carrying out the mandate to educate the public and promote alcohol and drug treatment programs with RecoveryWave.com. The seeming appearance of endorsement by the County could be viewed as an unintended consequence of this public service role. The English-only disclaimer on RecoveryWave.com provides the County legal protection from misuse of the web site information. There is tension between the mandate to provide information to the public and the exposure of the County to the misuse of the information. This leads to a lack of clarity about County support and the appearance of an endorsement of the private programs included on RecoveryWave.com. County Response: Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors – PARTIALLY AGREE The disclaimer on the website specifically states, “This site and its content are provided on an ‘as is’ basis. The County of Santa Cruz to the fullest extent permitted by law, disclaim all warranties, either express or implied, statutory or otherwise, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, non-infringement of third parties rights, and fitness for any particular purpose.” Furthermore, the website only indicates that the recovery programs listed are available, and makes no statements of endorsement. However, the County agrees that it is possible, despite the above disclaimers, that a member of the public could misconstrue listing of a program on the website as an endorsement by the County, and agrees that the disclaimer is not in Spanish. 40 ∫ Santa Cruz County Grand Jury Final Report 2009-2010 Santa Cruz County Funding for Individuals in Residential Treatment for Alcohol and Drug Addictions In addition to the information gathered about the residential facilities, the Grand Jury interviewed County officials to understand the nature and extent of the funding from the County to the RTFs. With the severe budgetary cutbacks of recent years, there has been a drastic reduction in County support for residential treatment. In many cases funding cuts have meant the curtailment of programs, leaving some special populations without residential treatment entirely. In other cases programs have been shortened to the extent that there is insufficient recovery time. Personnel of the County and those RTFs receiving public support emphasized the difficulty in helping individuals with their addictions when the programs are severely shortened. Providing no support for the most vulnerable populations, like the dual-diagnosed or serial inebriates, presents a challenge for the County.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
HSA and ADAC should clarify the appearance of County endorsement for the treatment facilities listed at RecoveryWave.com with a simple and prominent statement of intent. They also should make the existing link to the HSA disclaimer more obvious. County Response: Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors – HAS NOT YET BEEN IMPLEMENTED BUT WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE FUTURE This recommendation will be implemented by October 1, 2010 or sooner.
F6
Santa Cruz County provides critical financial support for Santa Cruz residents in treatment at Janus, Janus Perinatal (formerly Mondanaro-Baskin), New Life Center, Santa Cruz Residential Recovery, Sí Se Puede, and Tyler House. Because of the budget constraints, the County has shortened the length of stay it will support for an individual in residential treatment. With the closure of Paloma House and Las Hermanas, two populations often underserved have had resources disappear. At present there is no County support for residential treatment for serial inebriates. County Response: Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors – AGREE Since the time the Grand Jury report was prepared, the County, in partnership with the City of Santa Cruz, Dominican and Sutter Hospitals, and the Central California Alliance for Health, has reinstated the Serial Inebriate Project, which provides residential treatment for serial inebriates.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors should become more aware of the residential treatment facilities and provide access to relevant facilities for the underserved populations of dual-diagnosed persons and serial inebriates, and they should press the State to reinstate funding for treatment programs. County Response: Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors – HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED The County Board of Supervisors is very aware of the residential treatment facilities and, within the constraints of available funding, intends to maintain and increase access to under-served persons with dual diagnoses and serial inebriates. As mentioned above, the How to Catch the RecoveryWave ∫ 43 County, in partnership with key stakeholders, has re-instated the Serial Inebriate Project. The County continues to advocate with the State to preserve and expand funding for alcohol and drug treatment programs.
F7
Adolescents with addiction problems can be treated at Tyler House, often at no cost to their families. Importantly, the program is structured and of sufficient length to promote recovery. Students residing at Tyler House are able to continue their education at La Escuela Quetzal, a sober school adjacent to the house on the same property. Tyler House is not well-known and is underutilized. County Response: Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors – PARTIALLY AGREE Tyler House is very well known to its primary referral sources (Probation, Children’s Mental Health, and the Alcohol and Drug Program) and is seeking to be better known by the general public. Although the occupancy rate at Tyler House is typically high, it dipped between January and June of 2010 due to clients with more difficult behavior problems being placed in the program who exited the program earlier than anticipated. Tyler House is working with the Probation Department to coordinate referrals of clients who are more appropriate for the program. The Role of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (ADAC) The Grand Jury found that ADAC has been dedicated in assisting the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency in its efforts to stem alcohol and drug abuses. Historically, there have been times when ADAC has had to operate without a full panel of representatives. How to Catch the RecoveryWave ∫ 41
No recommendations for this finding
F8
HSA has been handicapped by a lack of resources to promote broad awareness of RecoveryWave.com in the Santa Cruz county community, especially to those in critical and immediate need of support and information. County Response: Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors – AGREE The County supported the Commission’s early promotion efforts, including paying for the printing of 11”x14” color posters and 8”x11” color flyers in English and Spanish. Commissioners, HSA personnel and members of the recovery community helped distribute the promotional materials, and the Commission issued press releases regarding the website. However, in recent years resources have not been available to support these public awareness efforts. The English version of the site has received 16,220 page loads (hits) since the Commission began accumulating data on the site on February 15, 2009. The site’s average daily hit count has increased 17.5 percent, from 28.5 hits in 2009 to 33.5 hits through July 21, 2010. The Spanish language site draws significantly fewer visitors, with 3,405 total hits during the same time period.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors should fund HSA’s efforts to make the public aware of county treatment resources through use of the RecoveryWave.com web site. County Response: Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors – HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED Through funding provided to the HSA Alcohol and Drug Program, the Board of Supervisors has implemented this recommendation, including provision of timely updates of the treatment resources listed on the RecoveryWave.com website. In addition, the implementation of the county-wide 211 information referral line will help guide the public toward the RecoveryWave.com website.
F9
Both HSA and ADAC have voiced their willingness to accept the recent work of this Grand Jury on the residential treatment facilities as a resource both for HSA and for addition to the RecoveryWave.com web site. County Response: Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors – AGREE The County agrees with this finding and thanks the Grand Jury for the thorough review of the website. The Commission is dedicated to maintaining an accurate, up-to-date, robust and informative website, consistent with the needs of the community and within budgetary constraints. Conclusions C1. The RecoveryWave.com web site does not include adequate information to help individuals make an informed decision when choosing a residential treatment facility in Santa Cruz County. C2. Santa Cruz County funding for residential treatment for individuals with drug and alcohol addictions has been cut back to such a severe degree as to deny treatment to many of the most vulnerable, such as the dual-diagnosed and serial inebriates, and to hamper recovery for many others because of shortened programs. Most of the funding available to Santa Cruz County for all these programs has been provided by the State. The drastic reduction in State support has severely affected programs within Santa Cruz County. C3. Despite the presence of a lengthy disclaimer on RecoveryWave.com, there is the appearance of endorsement of the programs listed on the web site by the County Health Services Agency and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission. C4. The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors has provided limited support for promoting its public service web site, RecoveryWave.com. 42 ∫ Santa Cruz County Grand Jury Final Report 2009-2010 C5. Because of issues with the Spanish translation and the lack of a disclaimer in Spanish, the usefulness of the web site for Spanish speakers is compromised. C6. The disclaimer is nearly hidden in tiny type at the very bottom of the home page only, and a web site user is not easily aware of the cautionary remarks by the HSA.
No recommendations for this finding

Conclusions 1

Commendations 2

No Responses Found 2

Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.

County Service Area No. 4 (Santa Cruz) Special District
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Elected County Office