Inside Scoop

Halfway house seeks W-B approval [The Citizens' Voice, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.]

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:47:00 +0000

Mar. 17--WILKES-BARRE -- A halfway house and treatment center is pursuing zoning approval to lease renovated space to the company awarded a bid by the Luzerne County Correctional Facility to manage a day-reporting center.

Crossing Over, located at 203 S. Main St., wants to offer additional services along with two floors of overhauled apartments for correctional housing, owner Jim Casey said. Before it can move ahead, the city's zoning board must sign off during its meeting at 4:30 p.m. today on a variance request for the facility in a largely commercial district.

"There's a lot of people in need in the county and especially in the city," Casey said. "A guy getting out without the hope that he won't repeat and without the support of the community is going to do that."

If the board grants the variance, roughly 6,000 square feet on the first floor would be renovated to provide offices,...

San Pedro's Beacon House wins grant enabling remodel, expansion [Daily Breeze, Torrance, Calif.]

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:35:00 +0000

Mar. 17--The Beacon House in San Pedro won a sizable county grant Tuesday to remodel one of its sober-living facilities and construct a new residential home.

The work will add about a dozen beds to the treatment center's eight homes -- much needed space in the midst of the current economic crisis, officials said.

"We get at least a few calls every hour from people in need," said Louie Lozano, director of the men's recovery facility. "We can't take everybody, but we need to make sure that we increase our capacity to serve men who have substance-abuse problems."

The $360,000 grant is one of the biggest in the history of the Beacon House, founded 40 years on Beacon Street near the waterfront. The center offers inpatient treatment services, as well as sober living homes for recovering alcoholics and drug addicts in school or work training.

"This is a big deal for us," Lozano...

Enloe Medical Center doctor recruiting makes strides [Chico Enterprise-Record, Calif.]

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:19:00 +0000

Mar. 17--CHICO -- Keeping enough doctors in Chico has been a challenge for Enloe Medical Center.

Some doctors have retired and others have left for places where they could make more money.

Enloe and some local doctors have engaged in efforts to attract physicians to the area.

Lately, recruiting has gone pretty well, said Mike Wiltermood, Enloe's chief executive officer, in a phone interview Tuesday.

"We're trying to do everything we can," he said. "The good news is we're getting good recruits."

It might seem that a hospital would only need to worry about having enough patients, but sufficient numbers of doctors are required, too, to take care of the patients.

Wiltermood said when he first came to Chico a few years ago, lots of physicians were retiring and many others were departing for greener pastures.

Some specialties were in real trouble, he said. For example, the number of gastroenterologists dropped from six to two, and...

Another nonprofit in need [Sanford Herald, N.C.]

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:18:00 +0000

Mar. 17--SANFORD -- Without needed funding, Lee County Industries Inc. may have to send clients away.

LCI's Executive Director Meg Moss went before the Lee County Board of Commissioners Monday night to ask for $10,000, instead of the usual $5,000 LCI requests, because the nonprofit is in "dire need" of help from the county.

But things are tight on the county's end, and it's too soon to tell if the board will be able to give even half of the requested amount, said Board Chairman Richard Hayes. The county typically gives LCI $5,000 each year but was only able to give $4,800 last year.

LCI serves 200 people annually and 90 percent are Lee County residents, Moss said. There are 30 to 40 people with physical, mental health and addictive disabilities in the facility on a daily basis for about eight hours each day.

LCI primarily places people in competitive employment in the...

Crisis center closing brings questions: Clients react with 'a lot of emotion' [The Free Press, ...

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:16:00 +0000

Mar. 17--MANKATO -- The impending closing of Mankato's crisis center has left Blue Earth County with questions about where its users will go for treatment.

The 10-bed facility, operated by the state but slated to be closed in early May due to a budget shortfall, was designed to help people who don't need a hospital but are worried about getting to that point.

Last week, the state announced it was closing the building as part of a redesign of its mental illness services with its users being taken care of in a St. Peter facility.

The Blue Earth County Board heard Tuesday that it's not that simple.

When it opened in 2006, the crisis center wasn't meant to occupy the hospital niche of the St. Peter facility, Human Services Director Bob Meyer said.

It was meant to help people stay near their homes while forming partnerships as a facility among the state, providers and...

Franklin County officials name new Drug/Alcohol head [Public Opinion, Chambersburg, Pa.]

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:35:00 +0000

Mar. 17--The newest chief of the Franklin and Fulton Counties' Drug and Alcohol Program has extensive background in finance.

Franklin County Commissioners on Tuesday announced the promotion of Assistant Fiscal Director Becky Greenawalt to director of the drug and alcohol program. Greenawalt joined the county in July 2000 as an accounting specialist for the Mental Health and Mental Retardation programs and in 2005 was promoted to assistant fiscal director for Human Service programs. She previously worked for VisionQuest.

"You've been a shining star for this county for a number of years," Commissioner Robert Thomas told her. "The expertise and fiscal background you bring to drug and alcohol cannot be understated."

Human Services Administrator Rick Wynn and Warden John Wetzel also praised her fiscal experience.

"She's a big upgrade to the department," Wetzel said. "She understands the criminal justice system. We're excited in the criminal justice system."

The position has been vacant since October. The...

Patient's death points to persistent problems at Oregon's state mental hospital [The Oregonian, ...

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:37:00 +0000

Mar. 17--SALEM -- The last time anybody can be sure that they saw Moises Perez alive was about 7:15 a.m. Oct. 17.

A nurse at the Oregon State Hospital saw Perez lumbering down the hallway in Ward 50 F, a medium-security unit inside the state's mental hospital.

He seemed, the nurse told police, "just like he always was."

Diagnosed with chronic paranoid schizophrenia, Perez had been institutionalized for nearly 15 years. In that time, he'd developed physical problems often linked with powerful psychiatric drugs and years spent behind locked doors.

At 5-foot-8, Perez weighed 300 pounds, had high blood pressure and was at risk for diabetes. He was 42 and in terrible shape.

So nobody was shocked that Perez died later that day. The shock came in knowing he died in a room across the hall from the nurses' station and nobody discovered his body for several hours.

His death, according to public records gathered...

Eugene B. Brody: An 'international star in psychiatry,' he served as a department head and dean ...

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:08:00 +0000

Mar. 17--Dr. Eugene Bloor Brody, a globally known mental health figure who had been chairman of the department of psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and later was dean for social and behavioral studies, died Saturday of renal failure at his Cross Keys home. He was 88.

"Whenever I went to international meetings, whether in Egypt or Europe or elsewhere, people were always coming up to me and asking, 'Do you know Dr. Brody?' His work and his writing made him an international star in psychiatry," said Dr. Steven Sharfstein, a psychiatrist who is president and CEO of the Shepherd Pratt Health System and vice chairman of psychiatry at the University of Maryland medical school.

"He was a larger-than-life person who loved to talk, and when he did, had something worthwhile to say. He had a wonderful, open personality and an intellectual curiosity that was rarely matched in...

Probation may be revoked for Tiger Ranch owner [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:35:00 +0000

Mar. 17--She's been going on shopping trips to Victoria's Secret while she's supposed to be under house arrest.

She still has at least two horses registered in her name.

And she hasn't paid a single penny toward her $200,000 restitution.

But Lin Marie, the woman who operated a supposed cat sanctuary in Frazer known as Tiger Ranch where hundreds of cats were buried in mass graves, will have a chance to remedy all of those things.

If not, Allegheny County Judge Jill A. Rangos said that she could revoke the woman's probation and resentence her on 12 counts of animal cruelty and two counts of tampering with records. Each animal cruelty charge could carry a maximum sentence of two years incarceration.

Ms. Marie, formerly known as Linda Bruno, was sentenced on Jan. 8 to serve two years house arrest, to be followed by 27 years probation. In addition, she was ordered to pay $200,000...

Promises Treatment Centers Hosts Continuing Education Event in West Los Angeles

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Promises Treatment Centers, a leader inaddiction treatment , is hosting its Spring CEU Event at Promises West Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 24th from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.

(Vocus) March 17, 2010 -- On Wednesday, March 24th, Promises Treatment Centers will host a continuing education event for therapists at its West Los Angeles location. Jorid Nygard, MFT, will be offering a brief overview of the developmental stages couples go through, providing a better understanding of the power imbalances and stalemates that so often occur in relationship. She will also review therapeutic techniques that improve communication and encourage partners to explore internal vulnerabilities.

Cheryl Procaccini, LCSW, will be providing an experiential workshop called “Caring for the Soul: Sound, Music, and Meditation as a Path to Inner Peace.” Sound, meditation, and music have long been used to reduce stress, ease anxiety, improve concentration, manage pain, enhance positive emotions, and restore one’s sense of well-being....

BRIEF: Scriptwriter to speak here as part of Alcohol Awareness Month [Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.]

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:36:00 +0000

Mar. 17--William Borchert, who was nominated for an Emmy in 1989 for writing the filmed-in-Richmond movie "My Name Is Bill W.," will be the keynote speaker tomorrow for a town-hall meeting focusing on Alcohol Awareness Month.

Bill W. was the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. Borchert's most recent project is about Bill W.'s wife, "The Lois Wilson Story When Love Isn't Enough." A movie based on that book, shot in Toronto last fall, will air as a Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation on CBS on April 25. "My Name Is Bill W." starred James Garner, James Woods and JoBeth Williams. "The Lois Wilson Story" stars Winona Ryder.

The McShin Foundation, a recovery community organization that helps individuals and families fight substance-use disorders, is the host for the town-hall meeting. The event is sponsored in part by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

A panel of families that have been affected by...

Speaker to mix comedy with serious topics [The Record, Stockton, Calif.]

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:16:00 +0000

Mar. 16--The last time Michael Pritchard visited Stockton, to speak to a group of Child Protective Services employees and associates, was one of the saddest days of the year.

It was the day the body of missing Tracy 8-year-old Sandra Cantu was found.

Despite the devastating sadness that filled the room of people who work on behalf of children, Pritchard delivered his planned program and Joelle Gomez left with a sore throat and stomach ache from laughing so hard.

The executive director of the Women's Center of San Joaquin County enlisted Pritchard to headline her organization's 30th annual luncheon, which is March 31 at Stockton Arena.

"There's a time to laugh, to find some relief in the success were (having) in the community," Gomez said.

The seriousness of the Women's Center's work isn't lost on Pritchard, though.

The one-time seminary student and a medic in the army, Pritchard won San Francisco's comedy competition in 1980....

The Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals Launches the Georgia Bullying ...

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:08:00 +0000

CENTER CITY, MN -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 03/16/10 -- The Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals (GAESP) is excited to be launching, with Hazelden and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), a new effort called the Georgia Bullying Prevention Initiative. National surveys show that 17 percent of students report being bullied and 19 percent report bullying others "sometimes" or more often. That means more than one in three students in a typical Georgia classroom are involved in bullying on a regular basis. Many more students who witness bullying happening are also impacted.

Hazelden (www.hazelden.org ), headquartered in Center City, Minnesota, is the leading publisher of evidence-based prevention programs and the exclusive publisher of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP), the most researched and best-known program of its kind. With over 35 years of research and successful implementation all over the world, OBPP is a whole school program that...

The Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals Launches the Missouri Bullying ...

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:54:00 +0000

CENTER CITY, MN -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 03/16/10 -- The Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals (MAESP) is excited to be launching, with Hazelden, a national nonprofit organization that helps people reclaim their lives from addiction, and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), a new effort called the Missouri Bullying Prevention Initiative. Bullying is a serious issue that affects students' health, the school climate, academic achievement, and school liability.

Academy’s Community Initiative Offers Qualifying Former Addicts Free Vocational Training

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:05:00 +0000

Addicts May Qualify to Receive Major Addiction Certifications at No or Low Cost

(PRWEB) March 16, 2010 -- During economic times like these many students are postponing or quitting their educational pursuits for financial reasons and valuable human talent is left by the wayside as a result. For an addict these challenges are not only real but exacerbated due to their personal fight. Today, more than ever, affordable education, especially for those with a disease such as addiction, is in dire need. The Academy for Addiction Professionals has answered that call by arranging for qualifying individuals to receive free, low cost or reasonably financed classes towards educational certification as an addiction counselor in the behavioral health industry.

When you ask a former addict why they now work in the addictions field, the most common answer is that they want to give back. Indeed, most former addicts want to help others struggling...

Special-education stimulus funds diverted to other costs [Asbury Park Press, N.J.]

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:58:00 +0000

Mar. 16--Kim Vaccaro of Brick wasn't aware that last year's federal stimulus package included a $2.4 million grant to help her district enhance its special education program.

So it was news to her that Brick spent just half of the money on new initiatives for special education kids. The rest went to pay the health benefits of some 250 special education teachers and staff.

"That's pretty outrageous," said Vaccaro, 45, who is president of the Brick Township Special Education Parent Teacher Association.

"That is totally unfair to our kids," said Vaccaro, whose 12-year-old son Joel has autism. "Once again, they get shortchanged."

An Asbury Park Press investigation found that school districts in Monmouth and Ocean counties used the special aid to pay legal bills, expand non-special education programs and pay benefits for non-special education teachers.

What Brick and other districts did is perfectly legal, however. In fact, about 40 percent of the New Jersey...

Province adds 112 homes for the homeless in Edmonton and Calgary; First-year targets under ...

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:55:00 +0000

Edmonton... The Mustard Seed Society will receive $12-million from the Alberta government to build 112 housing units for the homeless in Calgary and Edmonton. This is part of the provincial strategy to end homelessness in one decade.

'Alberta was the first province in the nation to develop a clear and realistic plan to end homelessness and others now look to Alberta as the leader on this important social issue,' said Premier Ed Stelmach.

'Our plan is working because it focuses on innovation, partnerships and community engagement and delivers benefits to both Albertans in need and Alberta's taxpayers.' On the one-year anniversary of A Plan for Alberta - Ending Homelessness in 10 Years, the province has met or exceeded many of its first-year benchmark goals. Shelter usage is down in all major cities, more than 900 homes for the homeless are in the works, and more than 1,300 formerly homeless people have...

Leading Edge Recovery Center Brings Cutting Edge Treatment for Substance Abuse and Mental ...

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:39:00 +0000

Facility Doors Opened March 12, 2010 with Open House Set for April 7th

HAMILTON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Executive Director Melvin F. Stokes MHS, LPC, LCADC, is proud to announce that on Friday March 12th, he and his team officially opened the doors to Leading Edge Recovery Center (L.E.R.C.)(http://www.leadingedgerecoverycenter.com ) in Hamilton, New Jersey. Melvin’s team is currently gearing up for their open house approaching on April 7th 2010, when some of the top addiction and recovery professionals will be on-hand to see New Jersey’s newest facility.

...

Faculty Members from Capella University, an Accredited Online University, to Lead Multiple ...

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:30:00 +0000

The online degree provider to also screen PBS documentary, “The Next Mission”

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Capella University, an accredited online university* that has built its reputation by providing high quality online degree programs for working adults, will host multiple presentations on the latest counseling research during the 2010 American Counseling Association (ACA) conference in Pittsburgh, Penn. Faculty members from the online degree provider’s Harold Abel School of Social and Behavioral Sciences presenting topics on...

Jet bus fuels anti-drug videos [The Sun, Yuma, Ariz.]

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:37:00 +0000

Mar. 16--The Marine Corps, regarded by many as the highest standard in the military, has set another high bar in this year's air show as it combines its jet team spectacle with a competition benefiting school programs.

The MCAS Air Show has teamed with the Arizona Counseling & Treatment Services (ACTS) to help students understand a critical message targeted for them: Jets Are Hot, Drugs Are Not!

The jet bus, a former school bus outfitted with a jet engine and capable of reaching more than 300 miles per hour, will race an aircraft. MCAS and ACTS are offering students the chance to be part of the action, said Autumn Morga, ACTS marketing director.

"I contacted MCAS to ask about sponsorship at the air show. So they said they wanted to present a drug-free campaign and focus on middle and high schools. So they decided the jet bus would be an awesome way...

Camp Huntington Executive Director Emeritus Earns “Legendary” Status

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Dr. Bruria Bodek-Falik to be recognized this Thursday for her contribution to the summer camp industry

High Falls, NY (PRWEB) March 16, 2010 -- Merit badges aren’t the only things earned at summer camp anymore. Just ask Dr. Bruria Bodek-Falik.

Dr. Bodek-Falik, Executive Director Emeritus of Camp Huntington , a co-ed, residential summer camp for children and young adults with special learning and developmental needs, will be honored this week with the American Camp Association’s (ACA) coveted “Legends of Camping Award.”

“I believe that every human being has a potential,” says Dr. Bodek-Falik. “That potential might be showing or, often, it can be hidden. With this in mind, I designed the program at Camp Huntington to help our campers access their hidden abilities.”

Each year, the Legends of Camping Award is given in honor of a recipient’s leadership in the profession of summer camping and to recognize a lifetime of achievement, mentoring, sharing...

CCA Announces Receipt of Previously Anticipated Arizona Notification Not to Renew Contract at ...

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:30:00 +0000

NASHVILLE, TN -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 03/16/10 -- CCA (Corrections Corporation of America) (NYSE: CXW), the nation's largest partnership corrections provider to government agencies, announced today that it has received notification from the Arizona Department of Corrections of its election not to renew its contract at CCA's 2,160-bed Diamondback Correctional Facility in Oklahoma, which is scheduled to expire on May 1, 2010. Arizona expects to begin transferring offenders from the Diamondback facility beginning in May 2010 and expects to complete the transfer in June 2010. As a result of this notification, CCA intends to idle the Diamondback facility shortly thereafter, but will continue marketing the facility to other customers.

In January, CCA reported that Arizona budget proposals would phase-out the out-of-state private prisons, and the risk that CCA could lose the opportunity to house offenders from Arizona at its Huerfano and Diamondback facilities during 2010. Later in January we...

Step by step: join walkers on the path to physical and mental benefits [BC-HEALTH-SELF-WALKING:SA]

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:01:00 +0000

SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ In 1951, Ray Bradbury published a short story, "The Pedestrian," set in a totalitarian world circa 2050, in which no one walks the streets for pleasure or purpose.

No one except the story's titular hero, Mr. Leonard Mead. He strolls the sidewalks in early evening, looking into windows with only "the faintest glimmers of firefly light" _ the flicker of prime-time television. To be ambulatory in such a milieu draws suspicion and, eventually, the police.

"What are you out doing?" the police ask Mead.

"Walking."

"Walking where? For what?"

"Walking for air. Walking to see."

The man ends up in the "Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies."

This is the stuff of fanciful fiction, Bradbury's dystopian musings. It could never really happen, right?

And yet ...

In July, Long Branch, N.J., police answered a call about a suspicious-looking person walking in a suburban neighborhood in a light rain. The man had stopped on the...

Mental illness organization offering classes [Aiken Standard, S.C.]

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:09:00 +0000

Mar. 16--A local organization is working to help parents and caregivers cope with the mental illness of their child or adolescent.

The Aiken chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness is preparing a series of classes called NAMI Basics to help provide education and support for parents and caregivers of children and adolescents living with serious mental illnesses.

The classes will be held at New Covenant Presbyterian Church from 6 to 8:30 p.m., beginning on March 23. Registration is required for the classes, which are free for participants.

Blake Hamrick, the facilitator of the courses, said they will be geared toward adolescents from kindergarten to middle-school age. He said those who participate in the course will learn more about specific disorders, where to get help, the types of medications that doctors could prescribe and their side effects.

The course will cover a variety of disorders such as attention deficit disorder, depression, bipolar...

State pulls license [The Tribune, Seymour, Ind.]

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:06:00 +0000

Mar. 16--The temporary psychology license of David Mowry has been suspended for 90 days after a request for emergency action was filed by Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller.

In a Petition for Summary Suspension filed March 10, Mowry's address was given as Seymour.

"We believe he is living in Seymour," Molly Butters, reached by phone Monday night, said. Butters is affiliated with the state attorney general's office.

"We're still in the fairly early stages" of the investigation, she added.

According to a press release, the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division filed the request based on allegations that Mowry falsified school transcripts on his license application, forged credentials in employment applications and used an expired license number belonging to someone else.

In the petition for suspension, in which the full name of David Edward Mowry was given, it was stated that last year, Mowry submitted an application for Licensure to Practice Psychology in Indiana. On...