NAADAC/CAADAC/NALGAP National Conference September 29, 2006 Burbank, California

1. Addiction Treatment Workforce Characteristics for California, Arizona, & New Mexico: Implications for Workforce Development Beth Rutkowski, M.P.H. UCLA ISAP/Pacific Southwest Addiction Technology Transfer Center (PSATTC) NAADAC/CAADAC/NALGAP National Conference September 29, 2006 Burbank, California

2. Introduction • Each of the three states in the Pacific Southwest ATTC region (CA, AZ, NM) has a significant treatment gap (i.e., people who need substance abuse treatment but do not receive it): • 3.2% of the AZ population (139,500), • 2.8% of the CA population (802,500), and • 3.5% of the NM population (54,200)

3. The Substance Abuse Treatment Gap Percentage of Population with Unmet Need Individuals with Unmet Need, by State

4. Introduction • In an effort to better understand the conditions and needs of the substance abuse treatment workforce in the region, the PSATTC conducted a survey of substance abuse counselors and their supervisors employed in publicly funded treatment programs in CA, AZ, and NM.

5. Purposes of the PSATTC Workforce Survey • To better understand the changing demography of this workforce • To identify key workplace conditions and staff/agency issues affecting turnover rates • To identify the educational and technical assistance needs of the programs operating within this region and their workforce

6. Methodology Used for thePSATTC Workforce Survey • List of agencies compiled from the SAMHSA Treatment Facility Locator Database • 100% sampling of agencies in Arizona and New Mexico • 195 agencies for AZ • 90 agencies for NM • Random sampling of agencies in California • 736 agencies (50%)

7. Methodology Used for thePSATTC Workforce Survey • Letters mailed to agency directors in advance • Surveys mailed to directors and staff • Reminder letters sent to non-responding agencies • Overall response rate of 17% (459 surveys) • 171 from program directors • 288 from program staff

8. PSATTC Workforce Survey Analysis • Analyzed for basic respondent characteristics • Crosstabs with chi-square statistics were run to determine group differences

9. Scope of thePSATTC Workforce Survey • Topic areas included: • Workforce demographics • Educational and professional background • Agency characteristics • Professional experience • Compensation • Training preferences, needs, and barriers

10. Sample Demographics

11. Gender and Time in the Field Gender Years in Drug Treatment Field

12. Racial characteristics of the staff and directors of each state were representative of that state and did not differ across states. However, people of Hispanic ethnicity were under-reprented Arizona California New Mexico Percentage Reporting Hispanic Ethnicity

13. The median age of the US workforce is 40 years. The Substance Abuse workforce is considerably older (Medians age for counselors: AZ=51, CA=48, NM=52) Percentage Director Staff Director Staff Director Staff Percentage of Respondents Over the Age of 40 Years

14. A total of 54% or repsondents reported a personal history of being recovery. A higer percentage of respondents in Arizona and California reported a personal recovery history than in New Mexico Percentage Staff Director Staff Staff Director Director Percentage of Agency Staff in Recovery by State

15. Racial/Ethnic Differences

16. Age by Ethnicity (Mean = 49.1) p < .01

17. Education by Ethnicity

18. Salary Range by Ethnicity

19. Experience with Recovery

20. Group Differences between Directors and Agency Staff

21. Level of Education

22. Age

23. Salary Levels

24. In Recovery versus Not In Recovery

25. Recovery Status by Gender

26. Recovery Status by Level of Education

27. Recovery Status by Salary Level

28. Length of Time in the Field by Recovery Status

29. Likelihood of Leaving Current Employment Scale ranged from 1 to 5 Scale ranged from 1-5

30. Summary

31. Summary #1 • Understanding the characteristics of individuals in the substance abuse workforce is critical to: • Retaining people in the field • Recruiting new practitioners • Pacific SW substance abuse providers are older • 63% of the Pacific SW workforce is female, but females had significantly lower salary levels than males

32. Summary #2 • Variability in ethnic differences appear to be related to: • Age • Level of education • Salary • Recovery status

33. Summary #3 • A higher percentage of men reported being in recovery • Agency staff were more likely than directors to be in recovery • Practitioners in recovery were more likely to be retained in the workforce longer, but were more likely to have less education and to receive lower salaries

34. Final Thought • Ensuring equity in educational opportunities and compensation and recruiting younger professionals into the field is critical to meeting the expanding treatment need.

35. Acknowledgements • The data were collected by staff from the Pacific Southwest Addiction Technology Transfer Center with support from SAMHSA-CSAT (5 UD1 TI13594) • For more information or to obtain the Workforce Results for CA, AZ, or NM, please visit: www.psattc.org

36. The End…Thank you for your Attention