Statement of Needs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Statement of Needs - Essay Example Stagman et al. (2011) argues that â€Å"the use of alcohol and illicit substances by youth often leads to adverse health outcomes. According to the Office of Adolescent Health, the case of substance abuse among adolescents has risen exponentially within the last decade. In the state of Illinois alone, the number of cases of cocaine use among high school students, from grades 9 to 12 is equal to the national percentage of 3%. Also, the rate of high school students in Illinois who are indulging in the use of inhalants is at 10%, just a per cent lower than the national average (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). In Illinois, the support for substance abuse victims is often deficient and stationary as most are funded by private organizations and are also expensive, and that is on top of the fact that adolescents who are victims of substance abuse are not aware that they can get rid of drug and alcohol addiction. Furthermore, Stagman et al. observes that one factor that really challenges the reduction of substance abuse among adolescents is government fund because the delivery of care cannot be carried out without appropriate funding (Homer et al., 2008). In a mission to make a difference in the lives of many people suffering from the effects of substance abuse, the Gateway Foundation Alcohol and Drug Treatment is dedicated to the task of promoting awareness to adolescents about the adverse effects of substance abuse and restoring the physical, psychological, and cognitive health of the patients. The main concern of the organization is how to reduce substance abuse among adolescents in the State of Illinois by initiating public awareness campaigns that target adults and adolescents. Most of the substance abuse victims are those who have not gone in school or who are out-of-school youths. Due to lack of guidance and ultimate freedom to choose, they are often led to wrong directions. One