Gift cards as a means to motivate drug addicts to seek help? That's what Santa Clara County aims to achieve with a unique approach to combating the methamphetamine addiction problem. The county will be launching a pilot program that financially rewards people addicted to methamphetamine and other stimulants for each negative drug test they take throughout a 24-week period, according to San Jose Spotlight.
As reported in Mountain View Voice, Santa Clara County has been struggling with a significant drug-related issue, particularly methamphetamine, which accounts for more than 50% of all drug-related fatalities in the county. The pilot program is based on the concept of "contingency management", which has shown positive results in clinical trials and has been used by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs since 2011. This method involves financially rewarding addicts each time they test negative for stimulant drugs.
Edward Cohen, a social work professor at San Jose State University, said that while there may be concerns about this approach, the contingency model has proven effective. According to a CalMatters article, out of 22 studies that examined the impact on stimulant addiction using this method, a significant increase in a participant's ability to stay clean was reported in 82%.
"Spending (money in a) way to incentivize people to participate in treatment seems to be working," Cohen told San José Spotlight. "The idea that they're using the money to instead continue their addiction—first of all, it's not enough money to do that. But it's just enough to encourage people to stay involved (with this program)."
Santa Clara County is among 24 counties in California that are testing out the Recovery Incentives Program, with other regions, such as San Francisco, Sacramento, and Los Angeles, also coping with similar drug addiction crises. The program will be implemented through two community-based providers in Santa Clara County that focus on behavioral health support: HealthRIGHT 360 and Momentum for Health. This approach will target about 90 Medi-Cal recipients, and participants can earn up to $599 through the program.
