Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals | Bruce Greenstein, Secretary

Office of Behavioral Health – Addictive Disorders ServicesThe Office of Behavioral Health’s addictive disorders services provide treatment for people suffering from addictions to drugs, alcohol or gambling, as well as support for their families and friends.

As a legal condition of providing these services, OBH gives priority admission for treatment to intravenous (IV) drug users, addicted pregnant women and addicted women who have dependent children. For these groups, OBH aims to provide addictive disorders services with no or a minimal waiting period. If care is not available within 48 hours, the office will provide interim treatment services as appropriate.

Treatment Programs

Office of Behavioral Health has prevention and treatment services available in each region.

• Detox: These services are available as medical or social addictive disorders treatment. Medical services provide immediate, acute care to substance abusers at an extreme health risk, either because of a co-occurring medical condition, or because of a severe medical condition resulting from the substance abuse. Social detox services treat patients who need immediate care to treat addiction, but do not have any urgent health problems.
• Inpatient Care: This service provides non-emergency treatment and includes a planned, professionally implemented regime for people suffering from addiction problems. Inpatient facilities operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and provide medical and psychiatric care as warranted.
• Outpatient Care: Outpatient services are either non-intensive or intensive, based on the level of services provided in that program. In non-intensive programs, treatment/recovery/aftercare or rehabilitation services are provided, but the client does not reside in a treatment facility while receiving these services. The client receives treatment services with or without medication, including counseling and supportive services. In intensive programs, services provided to a client last three or more hours per day for three or more days per week, with a minimum of nine treatment hours per week provided.
• Community-Based Services:  Community Based Services include both residential and non-residential treatment options for both children and adults who are experiencing mental health and/or addictive disorders. These services allow people to remain in the community environment where they can contribute meaningfully and productively.
• community based Residential Services: Community based residential programs serve individuals who need safe and stable living environments in order to develop their recovery skills. Services are provided by addiction and mental health treatment personnel who provide a planned regimen of care in a 24 hour living setting. American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)  based criteria is used for classification of levels of care for addiction services.  Mental Health residential programs follow Medicaid criteria.
• obh community based non residential services: Community based non-residential treatment services are delivered in a wide variety of settings. Treatment staff, including physicians, provide professionally directed evaluation, treatment and recovery services. Services are tailored to each individual's level of clinical severity and are designed to help the individuals achieve behavioral changes while in their home environments.

• OBH Addictive Disorders Residential Rehabilitation Facilities: OBH residential programs  are for individuals who are not able to reach or maintain recovery goals on an outpatient basis and need structure and support in their living situation to be able to get better. The services range in intensity and the level of services received is based on the level needed; the state uses the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) classification levels. OBH contracts with a number of private providers to run and operate these facilities. Each facility meets Behavioral Health Standards' licensing standards.

• Services for Women with Dependent Children: OBH has a contract with the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to provide addiction treatment services for individuals in the Child Welfare (CW) and Economic Stability Self Sufficiency (ESSS) sections. Persons served are TANF-eligible women with dependent children currently using addictive substances, or with a history of use and are at-risk for relapse. The contract is comprised of three program components: Screening/Assessment, Gender-Specific Intensive Outpatient Treatment (GS-IOP), and Residential Treatment.
  The overall goals of the programs are to provide assistance to needy families where children may be cared for in their own homes, or in the homes of relatives; and to end the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work and marriage.
• Opiate Treatment Programs:  These services treat addiction to and physical dependence on opiates (either alone or combined with abuse of other substances) through detoxification and stabilization on methadone. 
• Compulsive Gambling Treatment: OBH offers a variety of services to specifically treat gambling addiction. People who wish to access these services can call the Louisiana Problem Gamblers Helpline at 1-877-770-7867. This phone is answered 24/7 by trained helpline specialists. 

Prevention Services

OBH has regional prevention offices throughout the state, which offer various services to decrease and prevent addictive disorders.

OBH Prevention Services provides family-focused, evidence-based, outcome-driven and cost-effective services.
Evidence-based programs, policies, and practices are provided to individuals who have never engaged in substance abuse and other high-risk behaviors, those at-risk of such behaviors, and those that have engaged in substance abuse and other high-risk behaviors, but are not yet appropriate to receive treatment services. Prevention programs are implemented in school-based settings statewide through a partnership with the Department of Education and teach problem solving, conflict resolution, and refusal skills while promoting mental health wellness. As required by the Synar Amendment, OBH coordinates efforts to reduce retail availability of tobacco products to individuals under the age of 18. Suicide prevention and intervention trainings are provided to individuals who have frequent contact with persons who are at high-risk for suicide.