Inquiry Ordered in Loss of Drug Treatment Funds
Los Angeles County health chief Robert C. Gates has ordered an “immediate investigation” of the forfeiture of millions of dollars in state and federal drug treatment funds.
The Times recently reported that the county had been forced to forfeit more than $9.2 million since 1987 because it could not spend the money fast enough. In a Monday memo, Gates notified county supervisors that he has directed his inspection and audit division to investigate why the money was not spent and report its findings within 30 days.
Gates noted that “sometimes conditions make it impossible for agencies to use all the monies” they receive. “The reasons for this,” he advised supervisors, “are complex . . . and in most instances, the result of restrictions imposed by the funding agency.”
Although drug-exposed infants are considered a critical public health problem in Los Angeles County, more than $3 million of the money returned for the 1991-92 fiscal year was earmarked for programs to help pregnant addicts.
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