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Title: Illinois: Drug programs to lose funding
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URL Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/ ... s-drug-treatment_n_825693.html
Published: Feb 20, 2011
Author: MSM
Post Date: 2011-02-20 20:55:07 by Jethro Tull
Keywords: None
Views: 253
Comments: 9
The harsh reality of the budget cuts proposed by Illinois governor Pat Quinn will become very real for tens of thousands of residents, as the state prepares to kill all funding for its drug treatment and prevention programs. Only federal Medicaid dollars will fund drug treatment centers starting March 15, meaning that services at centers statewide will face drastic cuts. Sara Howe, CEO of the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association told the News-Gazette that "80 percent of our clients on March 15 would be thrown out of care." That adds up to around 55,000 people who will lose their help battling drugs. "It's the most devastating picture possible," Howe said. According to Eric Foster, also of IADDA, that includes up to 32,000 youth who will lose access to prevention programs, with disastrous possible ramifications, The Telegraph reports. With a mounting budget crisis over the past several years, funding for treatment and prevention programs has already been seriously eroded, as a separate News-Gazette piece reads: "It seems to me he's taking the most vulnerable and making those people come to Springfield and cry and beg and get legislators to change their minds on what programs to cut," he said. Poster Comment: They should all be given one final "hot" load and save the state even more money.
Prairie [Treatment] Center's funding was cut by $900,000 in 2008, forcing it to close its detoxification program and lay off 22 employees. The detox program reopened after some of the money was restored and six nurses were rehired. [Prairie Health Systems CEO Bruce] Suardini pledged to fight the latest proposals as well.
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#1. To: Jethro Tull (#0)
What kills me about stories like this is that they will cut this program but not cut all those expensive commissions that they appoint their cronies to.
IMO, they are cutting this one intentionally. They want legions of strung out junkies roaming the state. It's like when the State Fathers propose opening up the prisons as a starting point in budget negotiations. We need to understand the politicians are literally about to unleash a very unsavory element into the populace. Arm up.
I would completely agree on the intent. I'm just saying if they really cared about cutting the budget etc...
#5. To: farmfriend (#4)
Agree.
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#3. To: farmfriend (#1)
#4. To: Jethro Tull (#3)
IMO, they are cutting this one intentionally. They want legions of strung out junkies roaming the state. It's like when the State Fathers propose opening up the prisons as a starting point in budget negotiations. We need to understand the politicians are literally about to unleash a very unsavory element into the populace. Arm up.
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