| Court makes it easier for patients to enter rehab
Pennsylvanians battling drug and alcohol addiction will not need a second opinion from their HMO before entering treatment programs, a state appeals court ruled. In a unanimous decision released Thursday, Commonwealth Court ruled that group insurance companies and HMOs must cover drug and alcohol treatment costs for policy holders referred to detoxification, rehabilitation and outpatient programs by a doctor or psychologist. The ruling will help about 15,000 state residents with private insurance who seek substance abuse treatment each year, said Deborah Beck, president of the Drug and Alcohol Service Providers Organization of Pennsylvania. It's a really important decision that I think gives power back to doctors and psychologists, said Beck, whose Harrisburg-based organization represents licensed treatment centers and school-run counseling programs.
MacArthur House opens
Partners in Recovery, Inc. is opening a safe haven for highly motivated men addicted to alcohol and/or drugs, a new service for the Chequamegon Bay area. The local non-profit organization purchased a building at 218 MacArthur Ave., Ashland, that will serve as its first "sober house." The building is now being repaired and remodeled. It opened June 25. Substance use disorders including alcoholism and other drug addiction are a major public health problem facing the United States, and a critical need in Northwestern Wisconsin. Within the medical community, there is broad consensus regarding alcoholism as a disease. Most treatments focus on helping people discontinue their alcohol or drug intake, followed up with life training and/or social support in order to help them resist a return to alcohol use.
Celebrity Recovery Misadventures Hurt Treatment's Image
In and out of rehab and all over the tabloids, celebrity addicts like Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears are damaging the image of addiction treatment programs, some observers say. Reuters reported July 25 that incidents like Lohan being arrested for drunk driving just days after leaving a recovery program with an alcohol-monitoring bracelet, or Spears twice spending less than a day in treatment programs before being admitted for a third time, make "a mockery of rehabs," said Harris Stratyner of the Caron Foundation. "In some ways it's starting to make rehabs look like a joke and that's very sad because hundreds of thousands of people a year are saved," he said. While relapse is common in addiction recovery, celebrities often seem to operate by their own rules during their spotlighted struggles with alcohol and other drugs, seemingly coming and going from treatment as they please.
Introducing Addiction411: Online Tool to Educate the MySpace Generation about Opioid Addiction
Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announces the launch of Addiction411, the first-ever MySpace disease information Website developed to educate the public about dependence on opioids. Opioids include commonly prescribed painkillers such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, and methadone as well as heroin. "We are proud to be the first pharmaceutical company to partner with MySpace to provide their members with vital healthcare information," said Shaun Thaxter, president of Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals Inc., marketers of Suboxone. "Dependence on opioid painkillers and heroin is a major public health crisis, and the rise of MySpace as a leading online community makes it an ideal way to share important information about this hidden epidemic. Our hope is that providing the MySpace generation information on opioid dependence will help prevent them from becoming dependent, or will allow them to find appropriate medical help for themselves, their friends, or their families." In recent years, young people aged 16-25 have experienced a drastic increase in misuse of opioids, particularly prescription painkillers.
Man Injured After One-Car Crash
One man was hospitalized after a one-car accident early Wednesday morning. It happened around 12:45 a.m.. Police say the 20-year-old male was traveling eastbound on Chili Avenue when he got distracted and crashed into a parked car on the opposite side of the street. He was taken to Strong Hospital with what police call minor injuries. ll/yc
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Celebs 'more likely to deny addiction'
Celebrities are more likely to deny they have an addiction because they feel protected from life's problems and must hit rock bottom - often a run-in with the law - before admitting they need help, experts say. With society allowing the rich and famous to be held less accountable, addiction experts say, celebrities often face a tougher recovery after denying their problems for a long time. "A lot of times celebrities get away with a lot more, so they're often a lot further along in their disease before they ever get treatment and it's very difficult," said Susan Blank of the nonprofit Caron group, which runs rehab programs. Rehabilitation has come under the spotlight after actress Lindsay Lohan was arrested on Tuesday on a second drunken driving charge, just days after completing a second treatment stint and flaunting an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet at nightclubs.
Elgin's Riddle claims Renz shootout title
ELGIN -- Chad Riddle of Elgin didn't achieve an ace, but he did come the closest among all competitors during the recent Renz Addiction Counseling Center's Fifth annual Hole-in-One Shootout at The Highlands of Elgin. Riddle's shot landed 13 feet, 7 inches away from the cup. The three-day qualifying event would have awarded $1 million to any golfer who made a hole-in-one on a shot measuring 135 yards. The 20 golfers who qualified for the final round included local players Kevin Bailey of Elgin; Bruce Beu of Elgin; Chris DeSart of Elgin; Peter Gallois of Bartlett; Tom Harle of Carpentersville; Richard Johnson of Elgin; Tim Kyme of Bartlett; Leonard McCaw of Elgin; Ken Mroz of St. Charles; Leth Pearson of Carpentersville; Joe Stanczak of Elgin; Jeff Stephens of Carpentersville; Michael Stewart of South Elgin; Angel Trevino of Elgin and Riddle.
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