RCW 70.83C.020 Prevention strategies.

The secretary shall develop and promote statewide secondary prevention strategies designed to increase the use of alcohol and drug treatment services by women of childbearing age, before, during, and immediately after pregnancy. These efforts are conducted through the division of alcohol and substance abuse. The secretary shall:

(1) Promote development of three pilot demonstration projects in the state to be called pretreatment projects for women of childbearing age.

(2) Ensure that two of the projects are located in public health department clinics that provide maternity services and one is located with a domestic violence program.

(3) Hire three certified chemical dependency counselors to work as substance abuse educators in each of the three demonstration projects. The counselors may rotate between more than one clinic or domestic violence program. The chemical dependency counselor for the domestic violence program shall also be trained in domestic violence issues.

(4) Ensure that the duties and activities of the certified chemical dependency counselors include, at a minimum, the following:

(a) Identifying substance-using pregnant women in the health clinics and domestic violence programs;

(b) Educating the women and agency staff on the effects of alcohol or drugs on health, pregnancy, and unborn children;

(c) Determining the extent of the women's substance use;

(d) Evaluating the women's need for treatment;

(e) Making referrals for chemical dependency treatment if indicated;

(f) Facilitating the women's entry into treatment; and

(g) Advocating on the client's behalf with other social service agencies or others to ensure and coordinate clients into treatment.

(5) Ensure that administrative costs of the department are limited to ten percent of the funds appropriated for the project.

[ 1993 c 422 § 5.]

NOTES:

Finding—1993 c 422: See note following RCW 70.83C.010.