New treatment services for problem gamblers will be open in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Shreveport and Jefferson Parish.
Louisiana expands the treatment services given to problem gamblers in Baton Rouge and in Lafayette. The expansion of services is part of a program purposed to help people who had to relocate since Hurricane Katrina and people who suffer from gambling problems.
Until now, the state offered limited services in the area that included counseling. According to Michael Duffy, assistant secretary of the state Office of Addictive Disorders the new program will include more intense outpatient treatments.
In addition to Baton Rouge and Lafayette, the state plans to expand the problem gambling treatment centers to Shreveport and Jefferson Parish. The Office of Addictive Disorders also plans to open a halfway house near the treatment facility in Shreveport. The house would provide services to people from all over Louisiana. The gambling addiction treatment center in New Orleans that used to offer 16 beds and a halfway house, was closed since Hurricane Katrina.
