Users of free treatment slots at a community-based methadone maintenance clinic.

At a community-based methadone clinic in Seattle, WA, 360 opiate-addicted individuals were enrolled in a treatment demonstration project. The treatment slots were free to clients and, unlike other funded treatment slots, did not require proof of eligibility based on documentation of indigence. The clients were compared with 70 clients enrolled in a research project begun 2 years earlier in which the sample was drawn from a population using normal funding sources at the same program. Subjects in the later demonstration project were older and had fewer years of education. A higher percentage of the demonstration project subjects were African American. These differences indicate that introduction of free treatment opened opportunities to individuals who have difficulty accessing treatment under normal circumstances. Subjects in the treatment demonstration project were more likely to have obtained needles from legal sources and used bleach to clean needles. These findings probably reflect the impact of needle exchange and outreach programs, established in the year prior to the demonstration project.