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30 years ago there existed little research, let alone much discussion, of what it was
that women needed from their treatment experiences. Few people ever thought
or spoke about what is was that could be done to address gender specific issues
that arise from addiction, with the possibility of using that knowledge to improve
outcomes. But all that has changed recently as research into gender
specific treatment has begun to flourish. Findings of studies with animals have
shown significantly different biological mechanisms between males and females
when it comes to addiction, while human studies have found, for example, that
the female menstrual cycle is a determinant in cocaine craving and that female
cocaine abusers have higher craving scores and greater depressive symtomology
than men. Partly in response to the research, the number of centers nationwide
devoted to treating just women has surged, with entrepreneurs opening new
facilities and existing centers creating gender specific programs. The new centers
and programs are also a response the vastly greater number of women who are
actively seeking treatment. One institution that began to notice a surge in demand
from females for addiction treatment services was Hazelden, which over a seven
year period from 1998 to 2005 saw a four-fold rise in female admission inquiries
to 400 a month from 100 a month. “We saw a need here, there’s no question,” says
Hazelden CEO Ellen Breyer. “And we decided to do something about it.”
The fruit of Hazelden’s gender specific treatment efforts will be there for all to
see this fall, when the venerable foundation will open its new Women’s Center,
an $11.5 million buildout that is the first major expansion of patient facilities at
the main Center City campus in twenty years. The Women’s Center is Phase I
of an $18.5 million plan to expand gender specific treatment, with a $7 million
second phase consisting of extensive renovations to the existing Lilly women’s
unit. In addition to the $18.5 million
being spent, $500,000 is being earmarked for
program development, while another $1 million
is planned for women patient’s aid.
The new two-story Women’s Center will be
home to two 22-bed units, which along with the
renovation of the adjacent Lilly space, will
accommodate 88 female patients in primary and
extended care. Overall, Hazelden says that the
new gender specific initiatives will result in a
nearly 38 percent increase in the center’s female
treatment capacity, marking the opening of a
“comprehensive, cohesive Women’s Recovery
Center that will provide a nurturing environment
for women, from admission to continuing care.”
Certainly, Hazelden is no stranger to women’s
treatment, having opened its Dia Linn program
for females at a facility in Dellwood, MN, fifty
years ago. Development EVP Anne Hovland,
who raised $100 million for Minnesota Public
Radio before joining Hazelden in 2002, says
that a multi-disciplinary approach will be taken
to treating women at the new center, moving
beyond just the 12-Step-based modalities for
which Hazelden is recognized as the pioneer.
“Key issues like sexual abuse and eating disorders
have strong links to women with addiction
problems, so we will have the capability to
address them.”
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