Challenges of Residential Treatment Programs in D.C. for Substance Use Disorder

viding much-needed programs to individuals.

April is Alcohol Awareness month, a national movement to draw more attention to the causes and effects of alcoholism and how to help families and communities deal with substance use disorders (SUD). This year, for organizations that provide residential treatment programs in D.C., it's an opportunity to highlight the challenges they face when pro-

Operating a residential substance abuse treatment program is very demanding and intensive work. Clinicians work daily to effect change in the lives of deeply broken people combating addiction and mental illness often paired with homelessness or housing insecurity. There is an art and science to creating and maintaining a healing milieu. But what has been the most difficult for organizations providing services to those trying to overcome addic-

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tion throughout the pandemic has been exacerbated by significant shifts by governing agencies.

Samaritan Inns, located in the heart of D.C.'s Columbia Heights neighborhood, provides structured housing and recovery services in an environment of support and accountability. We give individuals who suffer from substance addictions the opportunity to rebuild their lives. For nearly 40 years, we've retained highly skilled clinicians who provide quality treatment services. However, since January 2022, our

Marc H. Morial

programs have had four major troubling outcomes due to changes implemented that are outside of our control. One is a decrease in the quality of clinical services because our best clinicians are now overburdened with excessive documentation: two, a significant decrease in revenue because of the new complicated and broken billing process. Three, a decrease in staff morale has impacted staff retention. And four — and by far the most detrimental — is the major change and bleak outlook on how we will acquire authori-

State of Black America 2023: Confronting the Threat Within

States of America.

"Our sense of belonging and prosperity relies on freedom from violence. That freedom requires confronting the threat that armed violence poses to our democracy and the hate-fueled rhetoric that feeds it. Moreover, keeping voters and elections safe from political violence is necessary to advance free, fair and secure elections and ballot access."

There is a fire blazing in the United

That the fire is burning through classrooms, law enforcement, the right to speak, the right to assemble and the right to vote. It is the fire of hatred, extremism and domestic terrorism. It is the fire of white supremacy.

This year's State of Black America report, "Democracy in Peril: Confronting the Threat Within," raises the alarm on extremist ideology taking root in the nation's most vital institutions.

The mainstreaming of extremist ideology is an existential threat to American democracy, the rule of law, and

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decades of hard-won progress toward an equitable, inclusive, more perfect union. No longer limited to passing out photocopied leaflets on street corners or huddling in corners of the dark web, conspiracy-mongers and white nationalists openly spew their bile across social media and cable television. They weave it into the public policy they impose on their constituents. It corrodes the trust between police and the military and the communities they are sworn to protect and serve.

Members of the U.S. Congress and state legislators across the country have promoted a conspiracy theory centered on a cabal of Satan-worshipping, cannibalistic child abusers that includes fellow lawmakers, Hollywood actors and business tycoons.

The leaked membership of a violent, anti-government militia group that led the January 6 insurrection included 81 people who either held or were running for public officer in 2022, 373 believed to be serving in law enforcement and 117 believed to be active-duty military.

Restrictions on teaching the history of slavery and the civil rights movement have grown so stringent that students

Clarence Thomas Does Not Belong on the Supreme Court

It's been over 30 years since Justice Clarence Thomas was confirmed to the Supreme Court seat once held by the great Thurgood Marshall, and it's safe to say that his reputation for unethical behavior — which was poor to start with — has only gotten worse.

What are we supposed to think about a justice's career that started with allegations of sexual harassment, moved on to extreme coziness with conservative political donors, then multiple instances of questionable gifts and payments to himself and his wife, and now revelations that years of free trips and perks lavished on him by right-wing billionaire Harlan Crow went unreported — despite laws that clearly say they should be? Even after the news of Crow's largesse first broke, it got worse: Crow had also bought Thomas' mother's house in Savannah, a helpful real estate deal that Thomas never reported, either.

We could think that Thomas either doesn't know or doesn't care about the ethical standards expected of a Supreme Court justice, or the laws that apply to him as a public employee. But Thomas is a graduate of Yale Law School. Ignorance is not a believable defense here. So we have to conclude that Thomas just doesn't care about the rules, or thinks that he can ignore them.

That's not the kind of person who belongs on the Supreme Court. If he wanted to do the decent and honorable thing, Thomas would admit his wrongdoing and resign. Calls for him to resign are coming from pro-democracy groups zations for clients seeking longterm treatment.

For example, before January 2022, approval for an individual to receive residential treatment in 90-day increments was standard. With that, we could offer residential treatment starting with our intensive 28-day adult treatment program followed by an additional six months of structured residential treatment. Clients could focus on long-term sobriety while working on job skills and finding

VAUGHAN Page 58 planning a Black History Month in Alabama were not permitted to reference any events prior to 1970.

White supremacists committed 22 racially-motivated murders last year, including the 10 who were shot in a Buffalo supermarket by an 18-year old under the influence of the "Great Replacement" conspiracy promoted by prominent media figures.

From sea to shining sea, this flame of hate and manipulation which gave currency to foreign interference in the

MORIAL Page 58 including the one I lead, top media outlets, and members of Congress.

But Thomas doesn't have a history of doing the decent and honorable thing. So that means others will have to hold him accountable. The question is how.

There are plenty of calls for impeachment, but with a Republican-controlled House the option would appear to be off the table. Meanwhile the Senate will hold hearings and may call Thomas himself to testify. That is an important step. I would add that two other steps are absolutely essential right now: a Justice Department investigation and Supreme Court reform including an enforceable code of ethics.

The Justice Department has clear grounds to investigate Thomas under a federal disclosure law that applies to government officials including Supreme Court justices. The law authorizes DOJ to pursue both civil penalties and criminal fines from government officials who fail to report gifts as legally required.

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