Rethinking the role of residential treatment for individuals with substance abuse problems.

The Substance Abuse Bureau of the Ontario Ministry of Health recently launched the Ontario Addictions Treatment Services Rationalization Project to increase the capacity of existing services and restructure the service delivery system. One of the recommended strategies was to shorten the length of stay of residential treatment from four to three weeks. Concerns have been expressed by some service providers that this policy change is not consistent with available empirical evidence. This paper reviews relevant research evidence and suggests a new role for residential treatment of substance abusers.