About Us

The Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse is the single state agency responsible for overseeing a statewide network of publicly-funded substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery support services.  Funding for these services is supported through state general revenue and an annual application process and receipt of the federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant, administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  This grant helps fund prevention, outpatient, residential, and detoxification services to community-based programs.  The Division provides technical assistance to these agencies and operates a certification program that sets standards for treatment programs, qualified professionals, and alcohol and drug related educational programs. 

The state has also been successful in securing competitive grants.  Grants awarded to Missouri from SAMHSA in recent years include:

• Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment (SBIRT) Grant which will provide early intervention for those individuals with unhealthy use of substances;
• Access to Recovery (ATR) I and II Grants which has increased treatment capacity in the state, promoted evidence-based practices, and have established and maintained a network of recovery support service providers with a strong representation from the faith-based community;
•  Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant which has supported needs assessment, capacity building, strategic planning, and evaluation at the community level;
• Co-Occurring State Incentive Grant which increased capacity to treat individuals with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health issues.

In addition to SAMHSA grants, Missouri was a recipient of The Advancing Recovery
Grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  This grant, which ended in 2008, introduced and helped incorporate medication-assisted treatment and other evidence-based practices into community-based treatment programs. 

In 2009, approximately 73,600 Missourians received substance abuse treatment or intervention services and 1.1 million received prevention services.  The Division promotes the use of best practices and is committed to providing quality care through its service delivery system.  Prevention and treatment of substance abuse and supporting long-term recovery for Missouri families who have struggled or are struggling with addiction is the Division’s statutory responsibility.  The Division, established within the Department of Mental Health in 1975, became a statutory entity with passage of the Omnibus Mental Health Act in 1980.