//November 16, 2011
A new Maryland health department report shows a large increase in the number of residents who are receiving drug treatment.
The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene sent a report Wednesday to lawmakers on the number of residents receiving substance abuse treatment through Medicaid.
The number has gone up from 17,995 in fiscal year 2009 to a projected 38,695 in the current fiscal year.
The department projects that Medicaid and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration will provide a total of about $143 million in substance abuse treatment funding in the current fiscal year. That’s a projected increase in substance abuse funding in the state of more than $26 million.
The department says all 24 Maryland counties experienced increases in the number of Medicaid enrollees.