Effects of Halfway House Placement on Retention of Patients in Substance Abuse Aftercare

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Abstract
One hundred twenty-four male veterans were enrolled in the Birmingham VAMC Outpatient Substance Abuse Clinic (OSAC) aftercare program following inpatient treatment for alcohol, cocaine, or mixed alcohol-cocaine abuse/dependence. Forty-two of the patients were concurrently admitted to a nearby halfway house (HH) while the remaining 82 patients made community-based (CB) living arrangements. Chi-square analysis showed the two groups were matched, p >. 05, in regard to age, race, marital status, presenting problem, and referral source. The CB group experienced significantly, p <. 05, higher early dropout (40 vs 0%) from aftercare. Of the others engaging in treatment, the HH patients stayed in OSAC aftercare 60 days longer and had significantly, p <. 01, more clinic visits. A higher proportion, p <. 01, of HH patients completed each of four treatment milestones: education group, psychological testing, psychological interview, and treatment planning/update. On average, the HH patients remained in OSAC an additional 90 days after their halfway house discharge. Although not significantly different, p >. 05, the frequency of HH patients receiving administrative discharge status of Treatment Complete was twice (28.2%) that of CB patients (15.1 %). It is concluded that concurrent halfway house placement can aid in aftercare retention and completion.

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