Although the department's earliest predecessor dates back to
1957, the cabinet-level department known today as the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS) was created by Act 265,
"The Government Accountability and Reform Act of 1993."
DAODAS is the single state authority for alcohol and other drug abuse programming as originally authorized by Public Law 91-616 of 1970 and Public Law 92-255 of 1972. The department reports directly to the Governor and is responsible for advising the executive branch of state, the General Assembly and other state agencies regarding alcohol and other drug abuse issues.
The department's mission is to ensure the provision of quality services to prevent or reduce the negative consequences of substance use and addictions.
Recognizing the need for direct services for the general public, as well as for specific high-risk groups, the department offers a wide array of prevention, intervention and treatment services through a community-based system of care. Although services are coordinated at the state level through DAODAS, the department in turn subcontracts with 33 county alcohol and drug abuse authorities to provide direct services to citizens in all 46 counties of the state. To ensure the quality of these services, each of the state's county authorities is accredited by CARF: The Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission, a nationally recognized authority on and promoter of quality services for people with disabilities.
Each year, more than 50,000 South Carolinians receive direct intervention and/or treatment services through the county authorities. In addition, these local agencies coordinate thousands of prevention activities each year that reach South Carolinians of all ages. Since their creation in 1973, the county authorities have provided intervention and treatment services to more than 1 million South Carolinians and touched the lives of millions of additional individuals and families through the many prevention activities coordinated by this system.
The primary source of funding for prevention and treatment programs managed by the department is the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant. This grant is provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in Washington, D.C. The federal block grant currently provides almost 50 percent of the department's funding for direct services coordinated by the county alcohol and drug abuse authorities. Approximately 30 percent is provided by state funds appropriated through the South Carolina General Assembly, and the remaining 20 percent comes from Medicaid and other federal grants.
The county alcohol and drug abuse authorities also receive funding directly through dedicated alcohol taxes.
In accordance with the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, DAODAS and the county authorities are committed to ensuring and maintaining the confidentiality, privacy and security of all protected health information related to our clients.
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