What does this measure?

The number of people from a county admitted to alcohol/substance abuse treatment centers anywhere in the state, expressed as a rate per 10,000 residents.

Why is this important?

Excessive drinking and drug use increases an individual’s risk of poor health outcomes, including motor vehicle crashes and unintentional injuries, and is often a contributing factor in child abuse, domestic violence, suicide and homicide.

How are Cayuga and Seneca counties performing?

In 2010, 134 people per 10,000 residents were admitted to alcohol or substance abuse treatment programs in Cayuga County. In Seneca, the rate was 131. The rates for Cayuga and Seneca were slightly lower than the state (excluding NYC) rate of 142 and similar to the rates of comparison counties, with the exception of Onondaga. Onondaga had a rate of 178.

Since 2000, the rates of people admitted to treatment programs in Cayuga and Seneca counties have increased 52% and 47%, respectively, whereas the state rate remained flat. In contrast, Onondaga and Ontario counties have both seen declines of about 10%.

Notes about the data

Since many patients admitted to alcohol and substance abuse treatment centers are in an altered mental state, reporting of their home counties has been less than perfect. The latest statistics have tried to correct for systematic errors in reporting. The data do not represent an unduplicated count of individuals entering treatment as a person may enter treatment more than once in a calendar year.