What does this measure?

The number of people from a county admitted to alcohol/substance abuse treatment centers anywhere in the state, expressed as a rate per 10,000 residents.

Why is this important?

Excessive drinking and drug use increases an individual’s risk of poor health outcomes, including motor vehicle crashes and unintentional injuries, and is often a contributing factor in child abuse, domestic violence, suicide, and homicide.

How is the Greater Capital Region performing?

There were 182 people admitted to alcohol and drug treatment per 10,000 residents in the Greater Capital region in 2007. The state rate was lower, at 157 per 10,000 residents; however, the region had a 10% decrease in admissions since 2000, while the state rate remained fairly flat. Since 2000, Albany and Schenectady counties consistently had the highest admission rates, but both registered drops in admissions in the most recent year.

Notes about the data

Since many patients admitted to substance abuse treatment centers are in an altered mental state, reporting of their home counties has been less than perfect. The latest statistics have tried to correct for systematic errors in reporting. The data do not necessarily represent an unduplicated count of individuals entering treatment as a person may enter treatment more than once in a calendar year.