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A hostage speaks out: “Our social service infrastructure is facing total destruction”

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Illinois

* Bruce Carter writing in the SJ-R…

I am the executive director of the Wells Center, a substance abuse treatment facility in Jacksonville. Due to decreasing state funds and the budget impasse, I was forced to close our detoxification program which annually treats over 350 individuals from Morgan, Scott, Greene, Calhoun and Jersey counties.

Governor Rauner continues to insist that substance abuse treatment facilities like the Wells Center be denied state funding unless his non-budget agenda gets passed as well. The Governor incorrectly asserts the pain caused by the lack of a budget is short-term. In reality, our social service infrastructure is facing total destruction.

A young man denied treatment and who is sent to jail suffers a long-term cost, as do taxpayers. A young woman denied treatment and who dies from a heroin overdose pays a permanent price. The pain caused to her family and friends lasts a lifetime.

Last year when Ryan M. came to our facility in withdrawal from heroin, we were able to admit him to our detoxification program. When he completed this, he went straight into our in-patient program. After 19 days of in-patient treatment, Ryan was able to go back home and continue treatment on an out-patient basis. Because of his severe addiction to heroin, Ryan was involved in out-patient for six months, initially coming in three times a week, but towards the end of his treatment coming in only once every two weeks. Ryan completed treatment successfully and today is working, paying taxes, and is drug free. The total cost of his treatment was $7,200. According to the Office of Drug Control National Policy, every dollar spent on substance abuse saves $4 in health care costs and $7 in criminal justice costs. That means that Ryan’s treatment at the Wells Center saved taxpayers almost $80,000. The personal costs of not being treated to Ryan and his family are immeasurable.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:18 am

Comments

No one made any money off of Ryan. He wasn’t pro-business. Rauner doesn’t care about Ryan.

Comment by Burger Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:28 am
Maybe once there is an increase in addicts holding up pharmacies it will finally bring this issue home for Bruce.

Comment by Daniel Plainview Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:28 am
Doesn’t Ryan understand that destroying organized labor will make his life better? I’ll explain how when I figure it out. Don’t hold your breath.

Comment by Sir Reel Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:32 am
This is just one of the hundreds of programs being destroyed by lack of appropriation. Citizens who could be served by community agencies are being forced into child welfare, Juvenile justice, nursing homes, living on streets all of which will cost us taxpayers more, to try and fulfill some philosophical political changes that makes assumptions that are doubtful at best. I was hoping we would get a Governor who wanted to govern, instead we got another loser who couldn’t govern his way out of a paper bag.

Comment by independent Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:32 am
==DP @ 11:28== Bravo sir!

I’d love to see Bruce give some empty remark on this topic…followed by a reporter’s follow-up.

Comment by Jocko Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:34 am
Another example of the Governor’s scheme working as planned to extort capitulation to his agenda.

Comment by Retired Lawyer Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:37 am
All that is heard is a quiet echo in the dome of the Statehouse and no one listening at the Governor’s Mansion.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:37 am
It will take a death or other significant loss to force any action.

Comment by Anon Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:39 am
Don’t listen to him! Focus on Rauner talking about his imaginary meeting invitations to Madigan!!!!!! /snark

Comment by Earnest Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:39 am
One of the bigger lies being flaunted has been the one that government can just stop for a while without creating more costs. Rauner supporters think government can go on hiatus without harm.

This governor is costing all of us more with his ruinous methods of supposed governing. Costs do not go away because you ignore them, as a matter of fact, costs worsen when you ignore them.

If you thought government was expensive and wasteful when it had its doors open, Rauner has proven that government is even more expensive and wasteful when those doors are closed.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:41 am
Maybe Ryan will kill Rauners other dog. Then maybe something gets done.

Comment by sparky791 Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:42 am
“Malignant callousness” prevents feeling the suffering being caused, being self-aware, self-reflective, or self-critical. To Rauner and his owned Raunerites, which is all but McCann at this point, the pain and suffering perfectly illustrated here is “worth it”. Anything they say to the contrary is perfidious. Political “malignant callousness” RIGHT THERE. If you want to see my work on this read Murray Bowen’s concept of “self-differentiation”. “Malignant Callousness” is the term used by someone (sorry I forgot, I wanted to cite but forgot) on this blog. It perfectly describes poor and extremely unhealthy self-differentiation.

Comment by Honeybear Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:43 am
None of the calculations of the bill and backlogs take into account the human and financial costs of situations like this. Too many people want to blame the victim rather than say there but for the grace of God go I. Our financial backlog may be huge, but our empathy backlog is too large to quantify.

Comment by AC Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:44 am
Anon. Unfortunately, in this case, his own family, which is kept quite out of the limelight.

Comment by Ms. SHEESH Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:45 am
Ryan M. and Bruce Carter I halted my work just now to bow my head in prayer and thank a loving God for you and your work. May God bless you and keep you.

Comment by Honeybear Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:45 am
I mean “WHO are kept out of the limelight.”

Comment by Ms. SHEESH Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:46 am
- sparky791 - Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:42 am:

That’s just wrong dude; get with the program!!!

Comment by BumblesBounce Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:47 am
Meant to type bill backlog not bill and backlogs ..

To add, societies have maintenance costs, some social costs can be prevented, and in that sense the state is the same as your house or your car. You may either fix a leaky roof today, or perform massive renovations tomorrow, or wait too long and no repairs will be possible. Unfortunately our deferred maintenance will destroy lives and not possessions.

Comment by AC Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:52 am
I don’t believe stories like this or the hundreds of other similar stories will move Rauner. Not because he doesn’t care, but he cares in his agenda more. The time for trying to persuade Rauner is over, it is now time to organize a coup in the Republican party.

Democrats need to figure out a way to provide the political cover and support for their Republican counterparts to do the right thing, and then guarantee that choice won’t be used against them in the upcoming general election.

Comment by Gruntled University Employee Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 11:53 am
I have nothing nice to say about this governor.

Comment by James Knell Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 12:12 pm
Keep up the education program with the idea to convince folks to vote accordingly - and that would be vote against Rauner’s GOP allies. Pressure by the GOP legislators is the only way this is going to change.

Comment by Norseman Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 12:14 pm
housing a drug convict in jail is 27k a year, not including legal fees, prosecution etc. drug offense vary but 3 years in jail looks like a low average. so that 80k savings sound about right.

penny wise pound foolish

Comment by Ghost Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 12:21 pm
as an additur every social service peogram i am aware of saves money. they all reduce costs or expenses incurred elsewhere. cutting social services does not save money, it just move the cost to a different segment where we pay more for being shortsighted

Comment by Ghost Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 12:23 pm
RIf only Mike Madigan who controls the world but agree to Rauner’s anti-worker agenda this all would end. Rauner is not to blame. Rauner is the victim. Not Ryan.

Comment by Anon Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 12:25 pm
furthering the hijacked plane metaphor, Cullerton has just showed his own hostage, K-12, one of Rauners metaphorical kids. “You shoot those hostages your kid gets it between the running lights”. I am continuously horrified by what we are facing.

Comment by Honeybear Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 12:31 pm
–”Our social service infrastructure is facing total destruction.”–

Geez, when you put it that way, it sounds really negative.

Take a lesson from Sen. Radogno:

Gov. Rauner and the Republicans are “squeezing the beast” for the “needed shakeout.”

It’s all part of the plan.

Feel better?

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 12:58 pm
sorry, 12:58 was me.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 1:07 pm
Well, they aren’t squeezing the entire beast, only parts of it. Because with opening day almost here, it’s good to know that the White Sox enjoy a better deal with the State than public schools do. Enjoy your high definition video boards Sox fans (although I’m not sure you’ll want to watch too many replays — once might be enough).

http://southside.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/04/06/the-quid-pro-quo-of-shiny-new-videoboards/

PS: You’re welcome.

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 3:13 pm
“Hang in there, Ryan” - Fake Todd Maisch…

Maisch knows, Ryan can’t help him or Bruce, so why should Bruce help Ryan?

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 3:28 pm
When you squeeze the beast, something will definitely get “shaken” out, and it starts with sh. Keep squeezing, and you get blood on your hands.

Comment by Anon221 Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 3:32 pm
Rauner doesn’t have a son named Ryan.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 3:41 pm
Lay off Rauner’s kid. He’s a civilian.

The kid certainly is not responsible for the actions of his old man, the elected governor of Illinois.

I have issues with the governor of Illinois’ actions, and fill continue to fight those. That’s it.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 5:21 pm
Not any less true or germane than pointing out clouting another kid into Payton vs loss of MAP grants and travesty at CSU. It isn’t about laying on or off the kids. They’re not to blame.

It’s about Rauner’s policy actions: kids around the state don’t deserve equal treatment with his own and are acceptable hostages for his business and political interests.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 7:11 pm
I really don’t understand how Rauner can look himself in the mirror.

And given his wife’s educational background…… it must be about the money.

Comment by Tinsel Town Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 7:17 pm
This utter lack of empathy for the vulnerable, mentally ill, or poor is deeply disturbing. These are not organized consolidations or reforms, but chaotic shutdowns.

Comment by peon Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 7:37 pm
Sorry hostage, GATA Illinois will destroy whatever agencies have survived the impasse. If you dont know what it is, google it. Carol Kraus is in charge of GATU, which is in charge of GATA. If you dont know who she is, google her. Its about changing everything Illinois does at every agency before July 1, 2016. The focus is not on helping people, or helping agencies that help people. The focus is on profits and federally approved indirect cost rates.

Comment by Afraid for the future Wednesday, Apr 6, 16 @ 9:13 pm