CAPITOL
General wants money restored to state budget
BY CHARLES THOMPSON
Of The Patriot-News
The drug and alcohol treatment community rolled some heavy artillery
into
Barry
R. McCaffrey, a retired four-star general and the one-time commander of
From
1996 through 2001, McCaffrey served as the director of the White House Office
of National Drug Control and Policy. He met with legislative leaders and Gov.
Ed Rendell.
In
his 2005-06 budget proposal, Rendell has proposed a
cut of $2.9 million in the Health Department's addiction treatment services,
from $41.6 million to $38.7 million.
McCaffrey
argued drug treatment funding should be a top priority in
"They're
a disaster for their families, for their employers and their communities, and
help is available."
According
to the Health Department, 630,000 Pennsylvanians needed some form of drug and
alcohol treatment last year. Only 86,908 persons received it.
Treatment
providers have joined with the Rendell administration's Insurance Department in
an aggressive effort to compel insurance companies to cover physician-referred
treatment costs for all persons covered by group insurance plans.
Advocates
complain that many private insurers have been skirting state mandates to pay
for such treatment. Providers are pushing for $46.6 million in aid for the
fiscal year beginning July 1 to help cut waiting lists for treatment programs.
That increase won't come close to filling the gap, said Mark Sarneso, executive
director of White Deer Run, one of the state's largest treatment providers, and
the sponsor of McCaffrey's Capitol tour.
But
the money is critical to help county drug and alcohol services treat more
addicts, rather than putting them on a waiting list.
Sarneso
said that the opportunity for treating an addict may be lost if a client is
forced to wait for service.
"Heroin
addicts, generally, don't wait very well," he said.
McCaffrey
likened the war on drugs to the war on terrorism, saying that both are
long-term campaigns.
"When
you see something that you don't like about America -- be it kids dropping out
of school, spousal abuse, high incarceration rates -- one of the leading causes
of whatever problem you're talking about is chronic abuse of alcohol or
drugs," McCaffrey said.
"We've
got to get our treatment systems big enough to start adequately addressing the
problem."
PUBLIC OPINION
Substance abuse provider marks anniversary
Drug 'czar' addresses
White Deer Run group
By ALYSSA KEENS
Staff writer
In their own words, administrators and state representatives
gathered in
"I think it's important for us to identify the successes
we've had at putting people's lives back together," said Mark Sarneso,
executive director of the White Deer Run/Cove Forge Behavioral Health System.
Those who gathered, including officials from
"We all have more work to do to end the dreaded impact of
drug and alcohol addiction on crime, education, jobs and families," he
said.
White Deer Run has 20 facilities in 16
"We are the largest drug and alcohol treatment system in the
state. We strive every day to be the best drug and alcohol treatment system in
the state," said Sarneso.
McCaffrey was the country's longest serving National Drug Policy
czar under former President Bill Clinton, and is a
Joining Sarneso and McCaffrey were representatives of drug and
alcohol rehabilitation centers in
"We work very closely with White Deer Run as far as referring
patients back and forth with each other and getting the word out about
treatment," she said. "We're serving similar people, and like they
were saying, there are a lot more people out there in need of treatment than
those who are receiving treatment. There are so many people who are in need of
treatment."
Roxbury Rehabilitation is owned by Universal Health Service Inc.
and provides inpatient services at its main location in Shippensburg, where it
treats addictions and handles behavioral health problems. Roxbury also has two
satellite facilities, in
"It's definitely a service that's needed," Myers said.
"There's more need out there than we can meet."
During his speech, McCaffrey called for more money, about $8
million, to be set aside to try to reach the millions of Americans who need
drug and alcohol treatment who are unable to because of funding shortfalls.
"We work very closely with the county and the state. We do
what we can with the funding available," said Myers, agreeing that more funding
would allow for the treatment of those who need it.
According to McCaffrey, 19 million people need treatment, compared
to the 3 million who are able to obtain it. In
"We all have friends, family or work colleagues impacted by
drugs," he said.
McCaffrey also talked about the need to educate adolescents about
the dangers of drugs and alcohol for early prevention.
"If you want to fight a war on drugs, sit down around your
kitchen tables," McCaffrey said. "We have to mentor and educate
adolescents, or they will encounter drugs and like them."
McCaffrey said eighth graders smoking marijuana and binge-drinking
beer are the greatest threat to
INTERVIEWS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15:
Gen. Barry McCaffrey and Dr. Barry Karlin
conducted the following media interviews pointing out WDR’s 35th
Anniversary and the need for $8 Million in the
7:10 A.M. WSBA Radio 910AM LIVE
7:37 A.M. WGET Radio 1320AM Taped
7:45 A.M. WDAC Radio 94.5FM Taped
8: 10 A.M. WHP Radio 580 AM Taped
COVERAGE AT WDR NEWS CONFERENCE CELEBRATION, Capitol Media
Center, 10 AM included: PCN (Pennsylvania State Cable TV) LIVE and Repeated
Taped, CBS local TV 21, NBC Channel 8 TV, Harrisburg Patriot News (reporter and
photographer), Chambersburg Public Opinion, Paxton Herald, and Multiple radio
stations pulling live feed from Capitol Media Center fiber optic system