Identification and Practice Patterns of Sobering Centers in the United States

Sobering centers operate as an alternative to hospitals and jails in many communities across the country as a safe place where an acutely intoxicated person can be observed until he or she becomes sober. No national data on this practice exist. We aim to create a preliminary database of sobering cen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of health care for the poor and underserved 2016-11, Vol.27 (4), p.1843-1857
Main Authors: Warren, Otis, Smith-Bernardin, Shannon, Jamieson, Katherine, Zaller, Nickolas, Liferidge, Aisha
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acutely
Alcohol
Alcoholism - therapy
Ambulatory Care Facilities
Case management
Centres
Cross-Sectional Studies
Departments
Drug abuse
Drunkenness
Emergency services
Female
Financing
Heterogeneity
Hospitals
Housing
Humans
Identification
Male
Methods
Missions
Polls & surveys
Population
Public health
Studies
Surveys and Questionnaires
Training
United States
Workforce planning
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Summary:Sobering centers operate as an alternative to hospitals and jails in many communities across the country as a safe place where an acutely intoxicated person can be observed until he or she becomes sober. No national data on this practice exist. We aim to create a preliminary database of sobering centers and describe national practices of these sobering centers. This study is a cross-sectional analysis and survey of sobering centers with a review of current practices. Twenty-seven potential sobering centers were identified through a variety of search mechanisms. Survey results were obtained for 11 of these centers. Nine centers met the definition of a sobering center. We found that sobering centers had significant heterogeneity in regards to size, practice patterns, and funding mechanisms. We also identified a wide range of missions, organizational components, and medical oversight.
ISSN:1049-2089
1548-6869
1548-6869
DOI:10.1353/hpu.2016.0166