Battle against heroin being fought on many fronts
By Denise G. Callahan, Journal-News, Hamilton, Ohio | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Local leaders and state legislators are working together to find solutions and funding to throw at the heroin epidemic that is ravaging cities throughout the region and the country.
The law states a parent, spouse or guardian can petition the probate court for a civil commitment if a doctor determines a person is a danger to themselves or others, and the family must put up half of the cost of treatment up-front and promise to also pay the balance of the bill.
"For that reason, Casey's Law has been regarded by most people as a series of laws that can only be utilized by people of means, wealthy people that can put down that amount of money," Rogers said.
It can cost in the neighborhood of
Rogers has conferred with other judges around the state on his own interpretation of Casey's Law, and they concurred that petitioners should only be responsible for the portion of the treatment bill that is not covered by
"The key is estimated cost of treatment, and I've arrived at the conclusion that, that is for the court to determine, in terms of how you arrive at that," Rogers said. "The conclusion I have arrived at is that estimated cost of treatment takes into account third-party sources... I view the statute within the context of the actual world we live in, and the reality is most treatment is paid for by either insurance or
The group of a dozen or so county leaders and others who are affected by the heroin plague are working out the nuts and bolts of getting the option of using the probate court to get help for more heroin addicts. Bohley said it's another tool, but it remains to be seen if loved ones will want to take their family members to court.
"How many people will actually feel comfortable taking a legal process to mandate their loved one into treatment? I don't know," he said. "We'll have to see about that, but it's another tool."
Meanwhile, the county is working on turning part of the Butler County Care Facility into a drug rehabilitation center to triage addicts. Dr.
"One of the big things that I have issue with is not trying to get people off heroin in terms of a biological dependence; no, that's actually, relatively speaking, the easier portion of this," he said. "The thing I have a problem with is once we get them off of it, how do we fix some of the social issues that prevent people from staying clean?"
He said many heroin addicts are jobless, they have no education and have no hope. That is why they do the drug, Mital said, because it dulls the senses. If they get an addict clean and put them back in the same environment, they are likely to go right back to the drug that kills the pain and hopelessness. Help in that regard is going to take money both from the county and the state, Mital said.
Sen.
"Last year, we designated responsibility to the county boards the responsibility for enacting programs," Coley said. "Now in the governor's MBR, there is a proposal to pull some of that back up to the state, which is usually problematic. I'm not sure that is the best use of resources, so we're dealing with that issue... We are trying to address this problem, but it is a nasty problem."
"We've got to look at all the different ways we can combat this," Young said. "Bringing all the different resources to bear that we have, I believe those are going to be considerable and sufficient."
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