History
Addiction Services
Within the City of Philadelphia, substance abuse programs are administered by the Addiction Services component of the Department of Behavioral Health. Addiction Services acts as the Single County Authority (SCA) for Philadelphia County for substance abuse services within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's substance abuse system. The Mayor's Drug and Alcohol Executive Commission, as an advisory body to the SCA, is comprised of individuals prominent within Philadelphia's health care system. The commission, with fifteen (15) members appointed by the Mayor, works with the SCA to develop a comprehensive plan for treatment and prevention services and to oversee its implementation. Both the Commission and the SCA were created in 1973 in response to the substance abuse problems impacting on Philadelphia.
The SCA receives State and Federal funding through the Pennsylvania Department of Health to maintain and establish a system of substance abuse prevention and treatment programs. It is also responsible for submitting an annual plan to the State and to monitor all contract agencies in conformity with guidelines published by the Pennsylvania Department of Health's Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs (BDAP). The treatment system is comprised of agencies that provide inpatient non-hospital detoxification; non-hospital residential services; outpatient and intensive outpatient drug free and outpatient methadone maintenance services; and drug free transitional housing services. Services are also offered that target specialized populations, including individuals who are homeless, individuals who are involved with the criminal justice system, women with children, persons with HIV/AIDS and individuals with co-occurring mental illness and addiction.
