I don't know if you've noticed lately but Salisbury News has been the front runner for the past 10 years bringing you crime information when the rest of the media ignored it. Fortunately that has changed quite a bit but in the past few months, (if not longer) law enforcement has been extremely quiet about crime.
Oh, they let us know about SHOPLIFTERS but IF we didn't put out certain breaking information we wouldn't see anything. In fact, law enforcement has placed so much pressure on a new Website out there breaking news as it comes in on the scanner that even they have stated they're going to back down from exposing what's going on. Many have suggested in comments the people behind that Site are Police Officers and Firefighters.
States Attorney Matt Maciarello sends us press releases on people his office convicts but isn't it interesting WE don't get information on the original arrests any more??? Mind you, that is not Maciarello's fault but someone is purposely dropping the ball to the public.
What you are hearing is that a LOT of the crime is based around drug addictions. Getting back to the Hudson Center, (above). The Hudson Center is a place for addicts to go but here's the problem. In years past the Hudson Center was accepting patients from, (get this) Baltimore City. Once that was exposed enough pressure was placed on them to stop accepting patients from Baltimore because we had such a drug problem here on the Shore.
Well, guess what. the Baltimore patients are back. That's right, local people addicted to drugs simply can't get in. Once again you're seeing NONE of this in your local media and it's a shame because crime keeps going up, they know what the main root cause is from and if there's one thing I can assure you of is it will continue to skyrocket if these people can't get help.
Let me just say this as well. If you THINK this doesn't or won't affect you, well, count your blessings because many affluent Families are also victims of the drug problem on the Shore and others are victims of the crime it causes.
I'm not so sure our law enforcement leaders even know this is a problem with the Hudson center but one thing is for sure, they know it now. STOP allowing Baltimore patients into the Hudson Center and let's take care of our own right here on the Shore.
Oh, let's also start publishing the REAL crime going on and STOP covering it up. If crime was as low as you publish, I'd say you could get rid of 80% of your staff.
Addiction is addiction. It is not made any worse or any better by the geographical location of its victim. Baltimore addicts are no more dangerous than local addicts are. To boot, it is sometimes better for addicts to receive treatment far away from their own environmental influencers (family enablers, peer groups, their dealer....!)
ReplyDeleteLastly, HHS has the absolute right (I feel) to fill their beds as they see fit and as needs are presented to them. I am not aware of any time that local addicts have been turned away from their doors.
You are fighting the wrong fight. we need funding for addictions treatment so that the treatment centers we do have left can keep their doors open. Many Maryland centers have been forced to close because changes to Medicare no longer allow for inpatient treatment. You think crime is bad now? Wait for the ripple effect of that nonsense. Please contact your legislators.
They put the smack down on Wicomico First Alert?
ReplyDeleteThis is one of those "open secrets" that you only hear about if you talk to the right people. The local media outlets are worthless when it comes to any real news. They won't publish anything unless it makes the towns here all look like Mayberry.
ReplyDelete10:31 I disagree. There is a huge difference in drug offenders from Salisbury and drug offenders from Baltimore. It is called "family." Just like ECI will not release an inmate without a "home plan" drug offenders should not be dropped into a town where they do not have family or at least familiar connections. It would seem to me that people without support are more likely to repeat bad behaviors. And if we can expect that more readily than we can expect them to get in touch with drug dealers from the Baltimore area which opens up a whole new supply line to the eastern shore establishing even more of a problem here. This is NOT rocket science people.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post.
ReplyDeleteCompletely correct.
And, just like ECI has imported many problems to the Shore, I'm sure this does, too, despite what 10:31 says.
I work at Hudson Center and trust me, they have brought in people from Baltimore for at least 15 years or more, and continue to do so.
ReplyDelete10:31, Thank you for your comment. We'll agree to disagree on parts of it. One thing I noticed is that you obviously do not DENY that patients are coming in from Baltimore. Business is business, I agree. However, in case you or others haven't noticed, heroin is a massive problem both in Delaware and Maryland. They claim it's worst in Baltimore. Our Governor is recognizing just how serious it is and when I speak to people like Mike Lewis and Matt Maciarello, they firmly agree it's a major issue. They'd also agree that this is where the bulk of crime comes from.
ReplyDeleteThe issue and topic not only needs to be addressed but we ALL must become better educated about heroin and what to look out for.
As far as local addicts being turned away at the door, you are VERY wrong there. My God, I can't even believe you'd make such a suggestion. I'll just say this, it's ALL about the money.
Sheriff Lewis, Maciarello and Culver need to be first in line with the Governor and ask for funding. They also need to reopen the treatment center at the detention center. They lost the funding and it closed down years ago. It needs to be reopened.
i have no problem with people getting help with there drug problem. but the problem is where do they go when they decide it time to quit the treatment and go out to the town and have fun. TROUBLE if you want a treatment center for all to come to take it outside of the local area i see a lot of unused land away from the local area to establish a drug rehab. you can say i should have compassion for people that have a drug problem. but to tell the truth i don't they made the choice that's there problem why should i suffer for their problem.i have been around since the 50's i could of had a lot of fun with drugs in the 60's but i chose not to so it was their choice not mine we don't need more drug problems here then what we have already
ReplyDeleteWhere are you getting your information from? This is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteI can speak from direct experience that Hudson does accept ALL patients, as long as they can obtain funding.
When an individual is unable to receive treatment, it is only because the funding is unavailable.
As of January 1, 2015 changes in Medicaid have caused huge problems with people in need being unable receive the treatment they need. As of 2015 Medicaid no longer covers inpatient treatment for anyone over the age of 21. How ridiculous is that?
If it's all about the money, as you said, why would Hudson not accept local people? The only reason would be because the funding is not there. Hudson is a non-profit, but there are expenses that must be covered, as in any other business. Why would local money be any different than money from Baltimore.
This is not a Hudson issue but a State of Maryland and a federal issue. When healthcare reform took place, the money had to come from somewhere. Some of that is obviously coming from the reduced amount of coverage now available to Medicaid recipients.
The scary issue is that if an addict at the Hudson House is found to have done any drugs while in the home they are evicted right away.
ReplyDeleteYou can see those that are kicked out because they are standing out on Deer's Head Rd. with their belongings.
This is fine except that if a Baltimore druggie is booted out of the Hudson house where will they go ?
This basically opens the door for more of Baltimore's troubled people to get stuck here in Salisbury and become our problem.
We have enough of that already from the prison and do not need anymore Baltimore scum lurking around our streets.
Joe,
ReplyDeletethat's the point, the money, follow the damn money...
In order to control people you need a police state... In order to have a police state, you need a lot of cops on the streets... How do you get more funding for more cops?
Once the cops are on the streets, they need to harass and steal what ever they can from people including, what? that's right money...
I mean look at the BOE, whereas they are wanting to take half of the kids from Delmar area and send them to surrounding schools for what? to get a bigger budget to waste money on, either for a new school or what ever...
It is ALWAYS ABOUT MONEY and always will be... and the less money people have, the more they want it, or need it and then they will start taking it...
Which is why crime is high here outside of the fact that we import crime via ECI and this addiction house...
Maybe that is what I will do, Maybe I will make a website and use a scanner and post everything on said website and lets see what the SPD will do about that.
Heck I think we all need to start video taping interactions with cops and even if you are a passer-by... Video taping cops could really and honestly save someones life... Especially since we have a few rouge cops on the SPD force, where only one of them had 14 lawsuits for his illegal actions... And that is just one officer, I can only imagine how many other officers do this as well...
And folks, just so you know, this is happening all over the world not just america or SBY... So something has to be going on for ever state and country to have a police state and for their cops to get away with damn near murder, oh wait they get away with that too...
Pay attention to the signs, they are all around... They just want you to be caught off guard when the shit hits the fan, so they can swoop in ans save the day but you as their slave... Mark my words!!!!
I bet the baltimore patients have private pay or better insurance than the local yokals.
ReplyDelete10:31 They can go to Baltimore facilities. Most of the time, once they "get out", they will stay, go back to their old habits, except now they're adding to our already over populated drug abuse.
ReplyDeleteWe need more funding? From who? The tax payers? No. They made a decision to start on drugs, it's their problem. They either pay for the services or OD.
Where do the entitlements stop? Should tax dollars go to diet programs because people have no self control? NO. Same with drugs... Your mess, you fix it.
11:17 said, "I can speak from direct experience that Hudson does accept ALL patients, as long as they can obtain funding".
ReplyDeleteI want you to understand something right here and now. Each patient MUST have health insurance or cash. Now THINK, many of these people are HOMELESS. They have no job. They have NO MONEY.
These are the very people robbing banks, stores and people because they desperately need a FIX.
We as a society would save a LOT more money if we just gave these people free treatment, OR, provide an Office whereas addicts could collect state health insurance. Because they have NO address, they cannot get insurance.
So it IS all about the money. Insurance companies should be helping to fund these facilities like the Hudson Center. By the way, it's a fantastic facility and they do GREAT things there.
I can tell you first hand, they, (at times) do NOT have beds, so do NOT lie about that either.
Defend them all you want, I know other wise. God Bless those addicts who come to the door looking for HELP. SHAME on ANYONE who turns them away because of MONEY/INSURANCE.
Heroin is a massive problem and we as a society need to help them get off the drugs, whatever it takes.
Now, compare those people LOOKING for help to those people CAPABLE of working on Welfare and Food Stamps, etc. It's OK for the state to take care of those people who don't give a sh!t but it's not OK to care for people who really need the help and ask for it. Total BS!
No, I am not at all denying that they have patients from Baltimore. What I am saying is that it doesn't matter:
ReplyDeleteA. Baltimore heroin addicts are not more dangerous than addicts from any other area, and
b. Addiction treatment is oftentimes more successful when you take the addict out of his normal social environment.
If there is anything tied to HHS's business license that requires them to deny treatment to Baltimore patients, I am completely unaware of such.
They are mental health/substance abuse facility operating in a free marketplace environment. You of all people should appreciate that. In what universe should they only be allowed to offer their services to local citizens? I am not aware of any health facility with such a requirement, but maybe I'm wrong.
I am not positioning myself to be an expert on business law, but it seems to me that they should be able to fill their beds on a first-come, first served basis. From what I have seen (I have a 15 year business relationship with them), their goal is full facility. They have been extremely successful in that regard. They provide a unique and vital service, and they deserve our full support as a community.
Lots of factors contribute to crime in this area: addiction is a big one, not just addiction to drugs. Alcoholism is a huge problem as well. We need to understand that this is a disease, and we need to support those fighting the good fight.
We also have joblessness, despair, greed,lack of educational opportunities, and the disintegration of the family infrastructure to blame for increases in crime. Not to mention a lack of faith. It's an incredibly complex issue, and it seems to me you are oversimplifying it.
The bad press you are generating for these very hard-working people is not the answer, respectfully. We need more facilities like HHS combating this important issue.
11:45, Are you by chance a former addict? You're anonymous, so yes or no.
ReplyDeleteWell since we are hearing about the crimes on here but we never hear anything from the police about the incidents that makes me wonder. Do they not release the information to the public because it makes them look bad or are the police messing things up so these criminals can't be prosecuted?
ReplyDeleteIt is a state facility. It is not unusual to remove the addict from their family and peer group who may have enabled the addict. I am not an addict or a councilor, there are just as many with alcohol problems that need intervention as well.
ReplyDelete11:59, Look, you people need to prove what you say is true. Opinions are just that, opinions. You say you are not an expert or a former addict. Then WHY are you on here suggesting you are right and others are wrong.
ReplyDeleteGet back to the point. We have a drug and crime problem here. We have issues with getting the MAJORITY of these patients health insurance. THEREFORE they cannot get accepted into the Hudson Center.
WE NEED TO FIX THAT PROBLEM. That involves law enforcement, states attorney, elected officials, including the Governor.
10:31 in correct. It most certainly does matter that these patients are from Baltimore, or any other populated city. What happens is our local people that are currently in the "Hudson Center" have new contacts. This means, when they are released and they RELAPSE which studies have shown is very likely, this creates more drug trafficking between Eastern Shore and Baltimore. Which, of course, already exists, but it worsen the already trafficing.
ReplyDeleteWe are exhausting our already thinned resources. More screening needs to be done to see if "ready for rehab" not just a court order one to AVOID jail. Can't endlessly provide money and resources when they aren't ready to quit. Taxpayers are already exhausted in the State of Maryland.
ReplyDeletePartly true 11:36 am. Maybe pay 100% of their initial rehab, after that...they can be responsible. Our Resources to FREE can't be endless. Where is the responsibility of the "drug offender". If there is none, then they perceive for the resources to be endless. And then maybe a more serious approach would be happening upon entering an Inpatient Rehab Facility. Not just taking up a bed for someone DESPERATELY waiting to be rehabilitated.
ReplyDeleteJoe, how do you feel about implementing a basic income? I feel it may be a real solution to these problems further down the road. Richard Nixon, MLK, Milton Friedman and a lot of other Nobel-wining economists think so.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they are only taking accepting out of town patients so that the insurance will pay for inpatient care. The insurance companies probably figure that local people can commute daily, so they won't cover inpatient for them. Just a thought...
ReplyDelete11:59am - The Hudson Center is not a state facility. It, in fact resides on state property, however, they are not a state facility. They are privately run and have an agreement with the state to have their center on state grounds.
ReplyDeleteOver 10 years ago my son asked me to help him get help with his addiction. We were told by the Hudson Center that there were no beds and it would be about 6 weeks before he could get in. Of course then, he wasn't as "motivated" and the addiction continued. If he could have gotten in the program when he asked for help, perhaps he would still be alive today. He just couldn't break that physical addiction by himself...he was just not that strong. I'm not saying it is the fault of the Hudson Center.
ReplyDeleteThe bottom line is: when an addict reaches that point where he finally asks for help, we have to try and do our best to provide the safe place and counseling.
So much money is spent on law enforcement here the city can't afford a snow plow!
ReplyDeleteOk, this is ridiculous! I worked there for several years, so allow me to clarify a few things. As of a year or two ago, 99% of clients coming from Baltimore (and other parts of MD & DE) had state insurance (Medicaid). I'm confident little has changed in that regard. While Hudson Health is a non-profit, they do need to be financially stable to operate. Anyone interested in researching will find that Medicaid reimbursements are ridiculously low, so Hudson isn't doing anything for the money.
ReplyDeleteNext, those clients from out of town who do not follow rules, are discharged and do not have family to pick them up, are taken home! They are not just left there. Those you see on Deers Head Hospital Rd. are awaiting their local rides to pick them up. Would you want your loved ones trying to get help while distracted by someone who breaks rules and could care less? NO! So, they call and speak to family to arrange transportation. No one goes to sit by the road without a scheduled ride.
I now work for another program in D.C. and guess what? We take clients from EVERYWHERE! What kind of facilities would our programs be if we turned away ANYONE calling who needs help?? Beds fill up and waiting lists happen everywhere, not just at Hudson. Stop being a lynching mob and push state and federal governments for sufficient Medicaid funding. Oh and those Baltimore programs someone mentioned? Guess what? One will be closing soon due to reduced Medicaid funding and the others are full!
ReplyDeleteInteresting discussion and comments. Challenging problem.
Since there seems to be agreement that Medicaid foots most of the bill for a high percentage of those being treated, who runs Medicaid?
The Golfer-In-Chief has the final say-so about what Medicaid pays for and how much. But vacationing and golf seem to be more urgent priorities for him.
There are so many things going on that I simply do not understand...homeless people can't get insurance...why not? People with no income get Section 8 housing, food stamps, free medical insurance and more. Others who work and don't make enough money for medical insurance can't get any assistance or affordable medical insurance...Addicts who WANT help can't afford the high cost of rehab, and once any insurance is "used up" by rehab, out the door they go. Something is very, very wrong with this country. It's so sad.
ReplyDeleteI'm a recovered addict. To stay recovered, I help others find Power to solve their hopeless dilemma too. Most of the people I try to mentor to are in piss-poor financial shape. It comes with the territory; addicts steal, beg, borrow & welch because they have no other option. They do NOT CHOOSE; rather, they've lost their Power of choice so many other people without the affliction enjoy. None CHOOSE to separate themselves from their family, alienate themselves from their children & drag their loved ones thru decimating, shameful pain. Every woman I've tried to help find placement in detox has ended up on someone's couch, back on the street or died. State/Fed funded 'treatment' is not the answer; unless YOU want to pay for it, over & over & over. Ever heard of METHADONE; or these other addictive substances given out at TAX PAYER EXPENSE? That's STILL addiction. One woman I helped was on it for 16 YEARS! How long does it take to detox for God's sake?! These REAL addicts CANNOT change without taking actions contrary to their nature. Most WILL NOT do that; they want an easy ride. The ONLY ones I've seen EVER recover are the ones who ABANDON every idea they have and set aside everything they want in life, for taking drastic actions toward a New Life serving their Creator, Brothers & Sisters. Most are so selfish they're ONLY out for themselves. I just step over their bodies to find ones who are willing to advance God's plan. The rest will die, get imprisoned at OUR expense or go insane anyway.
ReplyDeleteWhen they are kicked out for possessing drugs, or released at the end of their stay (when the insurance runs out) they should NOT be just dumped out onto the street. They are extremely vulnerable to falling right back into the "lifestyle".
ReplyDeleteThey should be escorted onto the next bus out of town with a prepaid non-refundable one way ticket headed back to Baltimore or where ever they came from. Not just left on the street to re-colonize here. Same with released ECI inmates.