BANGOR – The Acadia Hospital is one of 10 substance-abuse treatment sites from around the country chosen to participate in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation national program, Paths to Recovery.

The program is designed to improve the way substance-abuse services are provided so more people will seek and complete treatment.

Nationally, fewer than one in four people addicted to alcohol or drugs receives treatment, and as many as half of those who seek treatment leave their treatment programs early, before the programs’ benefits can be realized.

There are three main reasons for this, explained David Gustafson, director of the Paths to Recovery initiative: “For some the issue is finances, for others the issue is readiness. But we’ve found that 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 participating treatment sites were selected for being leading providers in the field that have been making innovative changes in their own organizations.

Gov. John Baldacci and Acadia Hospital Vice President Lynn Madden both lauded Acadia’s selection as “an outstanding opportunity” for the hospital and “the people of Maine who are in need of quality substance abuse treatment.”

By redesigning processes like client intake, assessment, scheduling, outreach and family involvement, the Paths to Recovery goal is to create a more efficient system that is less frustrating for both clients and staff and makes completing treatment easier.

For more information about the Paths to Recovery project, visit online: www.pathstorecovery.org or www.acadiahospital.org.