Navy Halts Premier East Coast Rehab Program Amid Staffing and Facility Challenges

Staffing shortages compromising the quality of service have caused the Navy to temporarily close its flagship residential substance addiction rehabilitation program at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP), Virginia. Officials verified the September closure, which severely impacted East Coast addiction treatment programs for Marines and sailors.

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Known as the Substance Dependence Rehabilitation Program (SARP), the institution offered Level 3 treatment—a 35-day inpatient program meant for service members dealing with moderate to severe drug dependence. Although the program employed 163 staff members in fiscal 2024, it was suspended due to unresolved facility problems including earlier reports of rat infestations and poor living conditions and persistent understaffing.

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Christina Johnson, an NMCP spokesman, underlined that outpatient programs still run and that "safe and effective substance abuse treatment for active-duty service members remains a priority". But the closing has sent people under Tricare to other Defense Department initiatives or private care.

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SARP has suffered staffing shortages that call for 33 full-time experts—including psychologists and social workers—to operate fully. Johnson pointed to continuous efforts by the Defense Health Agency to rebuild the program but offered no estimate on when it might be resurfaced.

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The suspension coincides with growing worries about alcohol consumption in the military, where studies reveal greater rates of binge and heavy drinking among active-duty troops relative to the civilian population. Reduced access to treatment could aggravate these problems, advocates fear, therefore depriving military members of vital help.

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