USERS OF FREE TREATMENT SLOTS AT A COMMUNITY-BASED METHADONE-MAINTENANCE CLINIC

At a community-based methadone clinic in Seattle, WA, 360 opiate-addic ted individuals were enrolled in a treatment demonstration project. Th e treatment slots were free to clients and, unlike other funded treatm ent slots, did not require proof of eligibility based on documentation of indigence. The clients were compared with 70 clients enrolled in a research project begun 2 years earlier in which the sample was drawn fi om a population using normal funding sources at the same program. S ubjects in the later demonstration project were older and had fewer ye ars of education. A higher percentage of the demonstration project sub jects were African American. These differences indicate that introduct ion of free treatment opened opportunities to individuals who have dif ficulty accessing treatment under normal circumstances. Subjects in th e treatment demonstration project were more likely to have obtained ne edle from legal sources and used bleach to clean needles. These findin gs probably reflect the impact of needle exchange and outreach program s, established in the year prior to the demonstration project.