A limited few get the limited resources

If you don't have health insurance, prepare for a long wait for drug or alcohol treatment in Kentucky.

Partly that's because those in drug court and others get first dibs on limited government funds.

The federal government sets priorities for who gets treatment. If you don't fit those categories, "the other people ahead of you use up all the resources available," said Karyn Hascal, deputy director of Kentucky's Office of Drug Control Policy. She said 375,000 Kentuckians need treatment each year. One in 12 will get it.

State funding has remained constant at $10 million a year for 15 years, Hascal said. An annual federal grant of $20 million also has remained unchanged, taxing the system as drug courts have grown. Without insurance or government subsidy, treatment is expensive. Even state-funded programs can cost $3,300 to $7,500 for the typical 30-day stint in treatment.

The state has opened the first of 10 recovery centers, in Henderson. They eventually will serve 1,000 people statewide. "That is the biggest influx of recovery beds ever," Hascal said.

"It will make a dent," she said, "but it is really just a drop in the bucket."

Because of the nature of the disease of addiction, there is often a very small window when someone is willing to seek help. Many people who seek treatment and are turned away don't try again, she said. "A lot of people die," she said.