| 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.
Celebrities more likely to deny addiction
NEW YORK (Reuters) - 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 non-profit Caron group, which runs rehab programs. .
Online gambling proponents want age verification software
Supporters say age verification through third-party databases could prevent underage gambling. Internet gambling advocates want the United States to follow a European model by allowing online gambling and using government information to verify that users meet age requirements. The Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative announced Tuesday that it will push for age-verification technologies while promoting regulated online gambling. The group is battling to legalise online gambling in the Unites States and overturn the current ban on the practice. It supports US Rep. Barney Frank's Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act. The Massachusetts Democrat and his supporters argue that legalised gambling is easier to control than illegal gambling and therefore would be a better route for protecting Americans from underage gambling, addiction, and fraud.
Xerox Classic Finds Its Niche
When the Nationwide Golf Tour made its Rochester debut in 2005, Xerox Classic officials admitted they didn't know what to expect. But as Irondequoit Country Club hosts the young golf stars for a third straight year, the tournament appears to have found a home in a Rochester's crowded sports marketplace. “The first year we ran this we received Tournament of the Year from the PGA Tour, it's the first time ever a first year event ever received that award," Tournament Director Don Jeffries explained. “So this is the poster child of what a Nationwide event should be like." In just three years this has become one of the players' favorite stops, mainly because Irondequoit offers one of the more challenging layouts on the Nationwide Tour. “This is probably as close as what we play to a PGA Tour event having the rough around the greens and the difficulty of having to work the ball both ways.
Bernalillo County works on new program to help meth addicts
Starting with methamphetamine addicts, Bernalillo County has made its first move toward creating a social services safety net program for people coming out of jail. The Meth Team started taking clients June 18 and provided them with services they need to stay sober, employed and mentally and physically healthy. County officials say the team also aims to start education programs in schools, community centers and other venues. The team is the beginning of the county's hope to reduce the number of people returning to jail for addiction-driven crimes and to help stabilize affected families. In the first month, the Meth Team's two case workers have enrolled about 25 clients. Face-to-face visits — on a daily basis and sometimes more often — ensure the clients have access to the services they need, officials say.
Meth statistics
The Mail Tribune compiles weekly statistics to demonstrate the effects of methamphetamine on our community. Arrests — Seventeen people were arrested over the past two weeks and lodged in the Jackson County Jail on meth-related charges, representing 22 percent of the county's total felony arrests for that period. Fifteen suspects were arrested for possessing meth, and two were arrested for possessing, delivering and manufacturing the illegal drug. Six arrests were in conjunction with other criminal charges. Court appearances — One person appeared in Jackson County Circuit Court over the past two weeks on an indictment charging possession of meth, representing 7 percent of total felony arraignments for defendants not in jail for that period. Addiction recovery — Thirty-one meth addicts entered treatment over the past two weeks, and 10 completed treatment at OnTrack Inc.
Meth, coke ring busted
Marcelino S. Flores met Miguel A. Padilla in Chambersburg 10 years ago. They became friends and ended up living in Gallitzin.
They were drug dealers, police say, and Flores found Padilla, who was convicted in the 2005 triple homicide outside the UVA Club on Union Avenue in Altoona, a source of methamphetamine in North Carolina.
Flores, 28, of 506 Main St., Gallitzin, and five other people were arrested Monday in connection with a reputed $2 million meth and cocaine ring, whose alleged members also sold drugs in Centre County. The source of the drugs, Isael Ramos of Raleigh, N.C., still is on the loose, police said.
Also arrested were: Flores estranged wife, Nicole, 29, of 401 Pletcher Road, Duncansville; Richard L. Hunter, 60, and Jodye A. Franklin, 39, both of Scotch Valley Road, Box 116, Hollidaysburg RD 4; Jamie R.
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