| 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.
People in businesss
David L. Myers has joined Miles & Buhr LLC as a project manager in the Seaford office. Myers, of Laurel, and a graduate of the University of Akron in Ohio, has more than 10 years of civil design and project management experience. His primary responsibilities include the project management and design of commercial site development and subdivision projects. He coordinates with clients, architects, consultants, review agencies and the design staff. .
Do aphrodisiacs really work?
THERE are of a lot of manufacturers claiming their products in the market today really work in improving one's sexual performance. But, which one really performs best? And which ones should be avoided?
The release of inhibitions or being afraid caused by illicit drugs can facilitate sex for many people, but the cost is high in terms of the risk it brings to their general health and the risk of drug addiction. Some drugs are potentially dangerous and you should avoid them or else, you'll suffer a lot.
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For instance, the long-term use of opiates like morphine and heroin is associated with reduced levels of testosterone in males and with infertility.
Hazelden releases book on celebrity addict stories
The Hazelden Foundation, Minnesota-based substance abuse treatment center with a national reputation, is releasing a book detailing the addiction battles of celebrities. Hazelden, which has treated many big-name actors, musicians and personalities for drug and alcohol addiction, said it will publish a book called "The Harder They Fall", which tells the stories of celebrities rise to fame, descent into addiction, and recovery. Among those profiled are comedians Richard Pryor and Richard Lewis, musicians Grace Slick and Alice Cooper, media pundit Glenn Beck. .
Amy Winehouse Enters Rehab Clinic?
Troubled singer Amy Winehouse has fled to the U.S. with husband Blake Fielder-Civil to seek help for drug addiction, according to British tabloid reports.
The "Rehab" hitmaker was rushed to a London hospital last Wednesday after collapsing following a three-day alcohol and drug binge.
And despite Winehouse's recent refusal to check into rehab, The Mirror claims the couple flew to the U.S. to undergo sessions of intensive counseling and detox treatment together.
A spokesman for the star's record label, Island/Universal, has refused to comment.
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DEA fears spread of new drug
Federal and state officials are stepping up efforts to block the spread of an emerging drug menace called cheese heroin, which has been blamed for the deaths of at least 20 young people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area over the past two years. The drug, a mixture of black tar heroin and cold medicine, sells for as little as $2 a hit and is being targeted at kids, often as an inducement to join a gang. Thus far, the drug is largely confined to Dallas and its suburbs. But Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and other officials warn that, with its low price and easy marketability by drug dealers, deadly cheese heroin could spread into other communities. ''We're still seeing the highest concentration in the Dallas area, but last year we started to see a spread to outlying cities,'' said Jeremy Liebbe, a police officer with the Dallas Independent School District who has investigated nearly 250 cheese heroin cases.
Real-Life Characters from 'The Wire,' 'The Corner' to Wed
Loyal viewers of "The Wire" aren't accustomed to happy endings. But sometimes life is more sentimental than art. The inspiration for a character in "The Wire," David Simon's HBO series about crime and social ills in Baltimore, is getting married on Saturday. His bride: the real-life protagonist of "The Corner," Simon and Ed Burns' nonfiction book and HBO miniseries about a family's struggles with drug addiction. Donnie Andrews, 53, and Fran Boyd, 50, are survivors of the violent and drug-plagued West Baltimore streets, and their union is more than just a love match. It speaks to their shared commitment to helping young people to get out of gangs and escape the cycle of addiction. "A lot of people get out of `the life,'" said the Rev. Frank M. Reid III, pastor of Bethel AME Church, who will marry the couple.
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