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

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)

The Substance Abuse Treatment Gap Percentage of Population with Unmet NeedIndividuals with Unmet Need, by State

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.

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

Methodology Used for the PSATTC 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%)

Methodology Used for the PSATTC 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

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

Scope of the PSATTC Workforce Survey Topic areas included: Workforce demographics Educational and professional background Agency characteristics Professional experience Compensation Training preferences, needs, and barriers

Sample Demographics

Gender and Time in the Field GenderYears in Drug Treatment Field

Percentage Reporting Hispanic Ethnicity 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 ArizonaCaliforniaNew Mexico

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 of Respondents Over the Age of 40 Years Percentage Staff Director Staff

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 Director Staff Percentage of Agency Staff in Recovery by State Percentage

Racial/Ethnic Differences

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

Education by Ethnicity

Salary Range by Ethnicity

Experience with Recovery

Group Differences between Directors and Agency Staff

Level of Education

Age

Salary Levels

In Recovery versus Not In Recovery

Recovery Status by Gender

Recovery Status by Level of Education

Recovery Status by Salary Level

Length of Time in the Field by Recovery Status

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

Summary

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

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

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

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

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:

The End…Thank you for your Attention