The purpose of the study was to determine whether a change in the treatment program at Akeela House Incorporated a therapeutic community in Anchorage. Alaska, significantly increased the time in treatment for Alaska Native residents. The change in treatment involved implementation of culturally sensitive approaches that incorporated and reinforced Native lifestyles. Data were obtained from the Alaska Management Information System on all treatment admissions from January 1988 to January 1995. Prior to implementation, Alaska native residents had significantly shorter times in treatment that Black or White residents. After implementation of the change in the treatment program, Alaska Native residents' times in treatment were no longer significantly different from those of Black or White residents and all three ethnic groups had significantly longer times in treatment than before the intervention.