Gov. Napolitano announced that Arizona is the recipient of an $8.3 million Access to Recovery Grant from the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration.
The Access to Recovery Grant will be distributed over the course of 3 years by the Governor’s Office for Children, Youth & Families – Division for Substance Abuse Policy & is designed to support the expansion & enhancement of methamphetamine treatment & recovery services through drug courts. Drug courts have been proven to help break the cycle of substance abuse, addiction & crime by quickly identifying substance abuse offenders & placing them under close court monitoring, coupled with effective, long-term treatment service.
Grant funding will be used to offer adult drug court participants more options among eligible substance abuse treatment & recovery service providers, including faith-based treatment services. Twelve drug courts representing urban & rural areas as well as 2 tribal communities have been identified by the state to participate in the grant.
The Governor’s Meth Task Force, chaired by Pima Co. Attorney Barbara LaWall, recognized the need to increase the number of drug courts & included the expansion of drug courts as one of their top priority recommendations in their report A Plan for Action: Addressing the Meth Crisis in Arizona. The Access to Recovery Grant award is one of many outcomes already achieved by the Meth Task Force since the release of their strategic plan in May.
The grant program will provide more opportunities for county and tribal drug courts, the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Governor’s Office for Children, Youth & Families – Division for Substance Abuse Policy, the Dept of Health Services & numerous faith-based organizations to continue to work together to provide services in Arizona.