Just in Time for Group? – Oct. 7, 2019 – The Southern California News Group has chronicled disturbing reports of deaths, sexual assault, drug abuse and paying for patients inside California’s loosely regulated addiction treatment industry over the past several years. Those reports have prompted federal probes, an Orange County task force, a sober living registry and new state laws designed to protect vulnerable people struggling with addiction. Bills aiming to tighten up regulation and standards for addiction treatment further are on the governor’s desk, and lawmakers are working on a major overhaul of the industry they hope to introduce…
Author: Leonard Buschel
Preying on the Dying – October 7, 2019 – People with addiction and their families often don’t want to ask their doctors or pastors for help because they’re ashamed and want to hide their illness. So, turning to a stranger can be appealing. To attract victims, “patient brokers,” as the scammers are known, typically offer free airline tickets and pocket money, according to prosecutors. They waive insurance deductibles and copays and tout the camaraderie and beach life the patients will enjoy in a place such as Florida. Parents, relieved that their son or daughter has finally consented to treatment, are…
Fox in the hen house? – October 5, 2019 – Now her appointment to the NIDA panel has drawn criticism from drug use recovery advocates over her ties to industry funding and her links to a 2018 lobbying campaign led by PhRMA against Minnesota’s tax on opioid drugs. “It’s disgusting. Why should the industry that created the problem have a seat on a drug abuse advisory panel,” Emily Walden of Fed Up!, a recovery advocate coalition that accepts no money from the pharmaceutical industry, told BuzzFeed News. Walden’s son died of an opioid overdose in 2012 … “Our lawmakers asked…
New Flavor: Agent Orange – Oct. 2, 2019 – “All 17 of our cases show a pattern of injury in the lung that looks like a toxic chemical exposure, a toxic chemical fume exposure, or a chemical burn injury,” said Dr. Brandon T. Larsen, a surgical pathologist at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. “To be honest, they look like the kind of change you would expect to see in an unfortunate worker in an industrial accident where a big barrel of toxic chemicals spills, and that person is exposed to toxic fumes and there is a chemical burn in…
Sidelined – Oct. 2, 2019 – I. THE VP On the morning of July 2, Eric Spofford awoke early, pulled on the gray suit he had bought the day before and left for work by six. He wanted to be on site when the Secret Service arrived. At 34, with a buzz cut and thick, tattooed arms, Spofford is sometimes mistaken for a client of Granite Recovery Centers, the addiction treatment facilities he runs throughout New Hampshire. Growing up blue-collar in Salem, a town of nearly 30,000 just over the border from Massachusetts, Spofford started using Oxy at 14. By…
Business As Usual? – OCTOBER 5, 2019 – Federal authorities say six people have pleaded guilty to charges involving a $48 million Medicaid fraud scheme involving an Ohio addiction services company. Among those who entered pleas Friday in Youngstown was 39-year-old Ryan Sheridan, of Leetonia, the owner of Braking Point Recovery Center, which operated drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities outside Youngstown and Columbus. Prosecutors said Braking Point between January 2015 and October 2017 falsely billed Medicaid nearly 135,000 times. They say those claims included inflated costs for services, billing for patients who hadn’t been medically diagnosed and case management services…
Time for a Good Cry – October 1, 2019 – Murtaugh said in his two years as a full-time employee, Donovan was “a warrior in Narcan training.” He helped cover nine counties in central New York. Murtaugh said Donovan’s work saved thousands of lives, and took him on the road a lot. “That’s the sad part, people are very shocked by this,” Murtaugh said. “He would always tell people, ‘never use alone, because people die alone’ and if he was truly hiding this, he wouldn’t have told anyone.” Donovan’s doctor, Laura Martin, said he spent over five years with her…
Growing Hope in Hell – Oct. 4, 2019 – The GreenHouse, as it is called, is the nation’s oldest and largest prison garden. It has quietly flourished for the past three decades, a period during which rampant gang violence and a scandalous culture of abuse among the guards made Rikers the most notorious jail in America. So when the city finally closes Rikers Island, as it plans to do by 2026, few New Yorkers will miss it. But also lost will be a garden sanctuary in the nation’s largest penal colony that has a remarkable track record for keeping inmates…
“Our heads are round so thought can change direction” ―Allen Ginsberg
Rob Lowe on Demi Moore – Oct. 1, 2019 – “She was a huge inspiration to me,” the actor continued. “It was the ‘80s, we were all doing our thing. I just remember thinking, ‘If that girl can get sober, anybody can.’ Everybody has that person in their life where they go, ‘That’s a great example.’ So it was very helpful.” Lowe, who has been sober for 29 years, said he “loved rehab” because it gave him “answers that I didn’t have” about life. “It was like going to school to learn how to live your life with tools that…
Sharing the Good News – Sept. 29, 2019 – ‘I want to take this time to talk about mental health,’ she wrote in a screenshot of text. ‘I’ve been so ashamed of some of my mental health issues that I haven’t even wanted to tell friends.’ She continued: ‘I’ve suffered from crippling anxiety since I was 4 years and gone to therapy since I was a kid and I am so grateful for what therapy and psychoanalysis has done for me. ‘I’ve worked on myself and continue to do so. I deal with past trauma, some more recent than others.…
No Drinking? – September 24, 2019 – Centers also must agree to respect the character of their neighborhoods; have a manager on duty 24 hours a day; require all residents to be actively participating in legitimate recovery programs; forbid alcohol and non-prescription drug use; and bar visitors who are under the influence, among other new requirements. “This protects the neighbors who are out there concerned about the changing neighborhoods in which they’re raising their families,” said Supervisor Don Wagner, who pushed the changes. “The courts have said that’s a very viable concern, and we have the right, as representatives of…
One Stay At A Time – September 26, 2019 – Amanda Bynes is committing to her sobriety after suffering a recent relapse, RadarOnline.com has learned. According to a source, the star is staying in a sober living group home. “She left treatment in June and is currently living at a sober living facility. It’s truly just one day at a time for Amanda,” a source exclusively told Us Weeklyearlier this month. Sources close to the actress told The Blast that Bynes, 33, is “not doing well” and her family and doctors felt it necessary to coerce her into entering a…
In His Shoes – Sept. 26, 2019 – When she returned home that night she told her son about the assignment, admitting to him that the drugs he takes and the affect they can and do have on him are her worst nightmare. Then, Cooper asked her son to dress her in his clothes. “My son went to his car and pulled out a dirty, smelly sweatshirt and pants,” she wrote in the emotional Facebook post. “He said I could wear his pants that had a bloodstain on them from where he missed when he was shooting up. I instantly…
Great White Sobriety – Sept. 26, 2019 – The date was May 21, 1988 , and I was on Global Travels concert caravan heading to one of my first hard rock shows and little did I know then as a young lad, that many decads later I would be able to speak with my idols of the time. I was lucky enough a few months ago to chat with Whitesnake guitar God Adrian Vandenberg and now I have completed the circle by speaking directly with Great White mainstay and legend guitarist Mark Kendall. The show at the Castle was awesome…
The Pain of Doing Time – Sept. 26, 2019 – Seventeen local defendants, including five medical professionals, are among those ensnared in a coordinated health care fraud enforcement action across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Washington, D.C., involving more than $800 million in loss and the distribution of over 3.25 million opioid pills in so-called pill mill clinics, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday … The announcement comes a year after federal officials formed the Newark/Philadelphia Regional Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which targets opioid-related wrongdoings. The joint law enforcement effort is designed to bring together the resources and…
How Will Your Kids Score? – September 19, 2019 – Soon after being appointed California’s first-ever surgeon general, Nadine Burke Harris took off on a barnstorming tour across the state to talk about adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress, an issue she calls “the biggest public health crisis facing California today.” Before the pediatrician was appointed to her position in January by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), Harris had founded and led the Center for Youth Wellness, organization focused on addressing toxic stress and the study of adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs. Over the past decade, she has become a leading…
Mayor Jerk – SEPT. 26, 2019 – Instead of following the research that vaping is a harm reduction strategy with public health benefits, the governor claimed in a statement that, “New York is not waiting for the federal government to act, and by banning flavored e-cigarettes we are safeguarding the public health and helping prevent countless young people from forming costly, unhealthy and potentially deadly life-long habits.” He even went so far as to recommend increasing enforcement by including the “possibility of criminal penalties” for retailers. We already know how this plays out, as the Iron Law of Prohibition dictates:…
Only If They’ve Done the Steps? – Sept. 27, 2019 – A few years ago North Country Assemblyman Billy Jones, a Democrat, had lunch with Michael Carpenter. Carpenter owns The Northeast Group, a printing, mailing, and distribution business in Plattsburgh. Jones said he came to him with a question –”Why don’t we, people for development disabilities and veterans, why don’t we do the same tax credit program with businesses, for people in recovery?” Jones recounted the lunch Wednesday outside Carpenter’s business in Plattsburgh. He was there to announce that the 2020 state budget includes $2 million to fund the Recovery…
Coffee Still OK? – SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 – But Wienczkowski was caught smoking a cigarette in rehab. And, in Philadelphia, city-funded inpatient drug facilities prohibit smoking. He was discharged for breaking the rule. “I was worried I was gonna use if I left,” he said. “And that’s exactly what happened.” After leaving treatment, the 26-year-old overdosed. He woke up in the hospital, assuming he’d been revived with naloxone. Soon after, he tried treatment again at a different facility. This time, he completed the program — in part, he said, because he was able to smoke. “There was a place where…
You Are What You Inhale – September 27, 2019- Sales of marijuana vaping products are reportedly down as much as 60 percent in some states as public health officials try to find out what’s behind a mysterious ailment that has sickened and killed some e-cigarette users. State health officials in Oregon announced Thursday that a second state resident had died from a vaping-related lung illness. That brings the national tally to 13, compared to the 12 fatalities announced earlier in the day by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The Oregonian reports. Another 805 confirmed and probable cases have…
Yellow Journalism – Retail: Not for the squeamish, but perfect for those who enjoy tormenting the squeamish, these realistic-looking urine containers are actually full of delicious sour liquid candy! Still, nobody else will know that’s the case when you tear off the “Sterile” label and toss back a few swigs on your next blind date, or in the middle of an important business meeting. If you’re not quite that bold, they’re also great for themed parties, gag gifts, and game nights. Serve slightly warm (body temperature) for an extra dose of reality! Pack includes 4 Lemon Liquid Candy Urine Sample…
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Vapers Tell California, F-You – SEP. 25, 2019 – E-cigarettes are loaded with a liquid cartridge — typically containing THC or nicotine — that when heated turns into a vapor that the user then inhales. The recent outbreak, however, suggests that something in the liquid, such as oil or another substance mixed in, has been also entering people’s lungs and causing damage, experts say. “People are getting sick and some are dying as a result of vaping,” Gov. Newsom said in a statement Tuesday. “Californians are encouraged to stop vaping until health officials fully understand what’s causing this public health…
Society Has the Disease – September 28, 2019 – Linda Winn spends her days trying to save lives, using chest compressions, rescue breathing, and the overdose-reversing drug naloxone to care for people on the streets of Boston who struggle — as Winn long has — with drug addiction. Other times, the 52-year-old vice president of the Boston Users Union hands out sterile syringes, she said, and collects needles discarded near Massachusetts Avenue and Albany Street, where a rally she had organized to demand respect for those seeking addiction services there was held on Saturday. Cops aren’t all bad, Winn…
This Is F#*ked! – September 24, 2019 – “Right now we suspect that there may be up to five deaths related to this batch of cocaine so we want the public to know to not ingest these illicit street drugs because the consequences may be fatal,” said Yonkers Det. Sgt. Dean Politopoulos. Police said they are trying to find and apprehend the person responsible for selling the laced drugs. Anyone with information regarding these incidents is urged to call the Yonkers Police Narcotics Unit at (914) 377-TIPS. If you or someone you know is struggling with a substance abuse problem,…
Sober Dude on Coronation Street – Sept. 25, 2019 – The charity uses different methods to aid those in recovery from addiction and helps them regain control of their lives. The couple have both been in recovery from addictions for almost 20 years. Kevin said: “A guitar literally saved my life. I played with Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke in the early days of The Smiths. “A guitar was my constant companion during the Corrie years and I took one into rehab. I have played since getting clean and sober.” “I am definitely going to play the song I played…
Stick with the Winners! – October 1, 2019 – Allison Harden has been involved in many strength-based pathways throughout her recovery journey, along with the 12-step program of recovery. She has learned how to build a supportive community, find peace, and to be of service to those on a recovery journey. In 2019, Allison used her lived experience and recovery coach training and received the National Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist Credential (NCPRSS). Her past work experience in substance use includes representing the Betty Ford Center and CeDAR in community outreach positions. She is married and has two adult children…
God Speed – September 27, 2019 – Metallica has announced their tour of Australia and New Zealand has been postponed as bandmate James Hetfield seeks treatment following his relapse. On Friday, the group shared the news on Twitter, writing, “We are truly sorry to inform our fans and friends that we must postpone our upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand.” The sweet was signed “A note from Lars [Ulrich], Kirk [Hammett] and Robert [Trujillo].” Metallic shared that “James has been struggling with addiction on and off for many years.” …“He has now, unfortunately, had to re-enter a treatment program…
Everything is Connected – September 26, 2019 – Previous evidence had linked harmful particulate matter with an increase in psychiatric disorders in adults, so researchers wanted to see if they had the same impact on children. They examined psychiatric patient visits at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center over a period of five years. They chose to zero in on the fine particulate matter PM2.5, which can lodge into lungs and subsequently into other organs and the bloodstream. When a patient checked into the hospital, they attempted to trace the matter back to the residential area where they lived. What…