Perinatal Treatment Services receives $208,000 grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Perinatal Treatment Services (PTS), a residential treatment program that helps pregnant and parenting women overcome chemical dependency and learn better parenting skills, announced today that it was awarded a $208,000 grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Paths to Recovery, a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, selected 10 substance abuse treatment facilities (from 350 applicants nationwide) to receive a grant and the opportunity to participate in a unique learning collaborative that will address organizational barriers to substance abuse treatment.

"We are privileged to have the opportunity to dedicate the next 18 months to learning new ways to improve access to our vital treatment services. This grant could enable us to change the lives of women and children in Washington State forever," stated Kay E. Seim, PTS executive director.

Nationally, fewer than one in four people addicted to alcohol or drugs receive treatment, and as many as half of those who do successfully access treatment leave their treatment program before its full benefit can be realized. There are three main reasons for this, explains Dave Gustafson, director of the Paths to Recovery initiative. "For some the issue is finances, for others the issue is readiness. But we have found often the real issue keeping patients from treatment is the way that services are delivered, and this is the issue each organization participating in the Paths to Recovery program is addressing."

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, based in Princeton, N.J., is the nation's largest Philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care. It concentrates its grantmaking in four goal areas: to assure that all Americans have access to quality health care at reasonable cost; to improve the quality of care and support for people with chronic health conditions; to promote healthy communities and lifestyles; and to reduce the personal, social and economic harm caused by substance abuse - tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs.

Paths to Recovery is a national initiative of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation designed to strengthen the substance abuse field's ability to significantly and continuously improve the care processes that facilitate patient access to retention in substance abuse treatment programs. About Perinatal Treatment Services

Washington-based Perinatal Treatment Services (PTS) is a long-term residential and outpatient chemical dependency treatment program for low-income, pregnant women and mothers of young children. With a 26-bed facility in Seattle, and a 30-bed facility in Tacoma, PTS offers a comprehensive program that combines counseling and case management to help women in recovery overcome chemical dependency while gaining valuable parenting and life skills. Children are able to bond with their mothers while developing in a structured, safe, and enriched therapeutic environment. For more information, contact Vincent Della Pella at 206-223-1300 x 231.