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Meet the new guys: Penn State turns to second-team linebackers

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Coughlin High School Class of 1959 held committee meeting

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The medical director of government programs for Geisinger Health Plan testified at a state hearing Wednesday about the importance of physicians assuming responsibility in preventing addiction by appropriately and cautiously prescribing drugs.</p><p>But Perry Meadows&#8217; message did not end there.</p><p>Providing informative and, at times, emotional testimony, Meadows spoke at a hearing held by the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs at King&#8217;s College Campus Center.</p><p>Identifying himself as both a doctor and an insurer, Meadows testified before Lt. Governor Mike Stack and Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Gary Tennis.</p><p>Meadows offered testimony regarding the importance of insurance companies fully funding necessary services such as art therapy, guided imagery and acupuncture as part of an interdisciplinary program.</p><p>Before finishing his testimony, however, Meadows went on to speak about something that made attendees put down their pens, stop taking notes and carefully listen to what he was saying.</p><p>Speaking as a parent, he recounted the journey of his stepson into addiction following an injury.</p><p>Meadows told of resuscitating the young man in a hallway of his home, an experience he said negatively affected his younger son.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m telling you that I will never be debt-free, as I spent thousands of dollars trying to find the right program, trying to change his lifestyle, trying to keep him alive,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I understand what it&#8217;s like to see an incoming phone call from an unknown area code and you think &#8216;this is it.&#8217; &#8221;</p><p>It was that personal experience that underscored the very purpose of the meeting: to examine laws and policies to better make drug and alcohol services available to those in addiction.</p><p>Tennis asked Meadows what he sees as the major barriers to recovery.</p><p>&#8220;Access to treatment,&#8221; Meadows said. &#8220;And other issues as simple as provision of transportation.&#8221;</p><p>Many of those testifying expressed concern not only about access to treatment, but about its length and quality.</p><p>Michael Donahue, Director of Human Services Division, Luzerne County, expressed concern about federal Medicaid regulations that would limit treatment, including both detox and rehabilitation, to 15 days.</p><p>Donahue said that is not enough.</p><p>&#8220;After 15 days, addicts will use again,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They&#8217;ll go back to using the same amount as they did when they entered treatment and they&#8217;ll die.&#8221;</p><p>Tennis said because the language reads &#8220;15 days per month,&#8221; those entering a drug treatment center on the 16th of the month would be able to stay for 30 days.</p><p>&#8220;That&#8217;s not an appropriate approach to treatment,&#8221; Tennis said, &#8220;to try to get a client in on the 16th of a month so he or she could stay longer and have a better opportunity for success.&#8221;</p><p>He referred to 29 state senators protesting the proposal and urging it repeal.</p><p>&#8220;This is an illegal and deadly proposal,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It violates the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which mandates care for substance abuse disorders be treated in the same manner as care for other physical diseases.&#8221;</p><p>Robert Norris, CEO of the Pocono Mount Recovery Center, shared the challenges of providing drug rehabilitation services within the context of insurances.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;In the month of August alone, there were 23 individuals unable to admit to our facilities due to high out-of-pocket costs,&#8221; he said. &#8220;These were 23 people with benefits covering our facilities and clinically appropriate, however, they could not access treatment because of high deductibles and co-pays.</p><p>Norris said his management team had instituted a financial hardship and free service programs to bridge the gap between finances and treatment.</p><p>&#8220;In the month of August, the cost to the company for these programs was $121,986,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Still, he said, many of those willing to come into treatment could not do so because of financial hardship.</p><p>Donahue, himself in recovery, recounted time spent in treatment over 30 years ago.</p><p>&#8220;I was there for 90 days at a cost of $1,800,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Since then, I&#8217;ve built a life; I&#8217;ve helped others and I&#8217;ve paid taxes. I think it was worth it.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Mike Stack addresses attendees of a hearing about access to drug and alcohol treatment </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_hearing-6.jpg</photo0><caption0>Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Mike Stack addresses attendees of a hearing about access to drug and alcohol treatment </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Secretary-Gary-Tennis-Portrain-6.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Tennis </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Secretary-Gary-Tennis-Portrain-6.jpg</photo1><caption1>Tennis </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_stack-6.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Stack </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_stack-6.jpg</photo2><caption2>Stack </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Emotional testimony before Lt. governor highlights steps needed to prevent addiction