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Friday, July 27, 2018

FOLLOW UP TO MY OPIOID CRISIS POSTING

I wasn't planning on posting my follow up to my earlier posting today about the opioid crisis this soon. That is until the following comment was posted anonymously on the Blog;
 "Let’s be honest here Kevin they’re all junkies, famous or not. They made the choice risking their life by injecting some street level poison into their system. No different than playing Russian roulette. The majority of people really just do not care. "

I think that is probably the common train of thought, "they did it to themselves"

That is very true, and I have been lucky and never faced an addiction (except to maybe McDonald's and their fries, and that probably doesn't count) Over the last couple years, especially after my health issues, I think many of my thoughts have softened, maybe the correct term is "matured" over time. Through volunteer work with others, I have been faced with addiction issues, many times it was difficult for me to comprehend how or why, but they are definitely out there.

Why would that stroke survivor I would speak to refuse to consider giving up smoking, knowing that it could lead to increased chances for another stroke? That's the nature of addiction, common sense just doesn't make sense.

Many times I would walk away shaking my head and just trying to think "but for the grace of God, that could be me or someone I love or care about"

I was thrown into the problem recently head first. I am not going into great detail here because privacy is important  and no one would be served by being embarrassed..My mother had called me asking for advice with a situation involving a friend of hers whose son was going through addiction issues, both drugs and alcohol. Numerous attempts at Rehab weren't working and the costs were not cheap. I was with my mother recently and unexpectedly met the person having the issues and I was impressed with him. He was talking about his new job and how much he enjoyed it and how hard he was working to get back a normal life

He carried on a conversation, appeared very lucid and  appeared to me to be the last person facing addiction struggles. Less than a week later, Mom sadly called me to inform me he was relapsing and his family was trying to figure out where to turn. Now it is no surprise to anyone these days , that a heroin addiction can prove fatal at any time, and time is of the essence.

Sometimes there is a thing called Karma or fate or whatever you want to call it, but things happen for a reason.

A couple weeks earlier I was talking to a good friend of mine and he was talking about his kids and what they were up to now. During the conversation he mentioned that one of his kids was involved in opioid addiction rehab programs and was becoming well recognized as a lecturer, and I'll use the word "expert" in the Rehab and recovery field.

Again, the fate thing. I called my friend and asked if I could try to get some advice from his daughter. I explained what the problem was and he replied that I was lucky since it was her birthday and she was in town for the weekend. Within minutes, I had an addiction "expert" texting me articles and giving us expert advice into uncharted territory for most of us that have never had to face these modern day problems.

And let me say it again, yes, as the anonymous commenter said, they know the poison they are putting into their systems. Unless you have faced an addiction, I don't think any of us can understand the decision making process to stick that needle in your vein, knowing it can be deadly. I can try to present my limited view, and I still don't understand it, but here goes.

Recently I was undergoing a medical procedure. I was on the table, hooked up to an IV. Something was injected into my IV and I'm not sure what  term to use , other than euphoric. I asked the Doctor what they just gave me and he replied Fentanyl. Always the wise ass, even drugged, I asked him "Isn't that what is killing people on the streets?" The Doctor replied "yes, but we tend to administer it a little differently here"

I think under the influence of the Fentanyl, they could have told me they were ripping my heart out and I probably would have smiled and said "OK".

I am just saying that to hopefully help explain the thought process that goes with using powerful drugs such as Fentanyl or heroin or morphine.. I can only imagine the thought process that goes through the mind of a heroin or opioid addict looking for that better or more intense high to get by. Combine that with, in many cases, psychiatric issues such as manic depressive or bi polar and the normal thought processes get even more blurred

So unless you have never faced  addiction issues, it is probably very hard to understand why an addict would do what they do, but is a very real issue that is costing the lives of family members and loved ones everyday in our neighborhoods, and no one is exempt. No one plans on becoming an addict, but it might be as simple as a car accident,a sports injury or a chronic pain issue that starts one down that path with an opioid addiction and it grows from there.


MOVIES IN THE PARK























Free carousel rides and a fun night in the City

WHAT OPIOID CRISIS?

I have to wonder if we really have an opioid  crisis in Hartford. I am serious, if it  really is at crisis stage, wouldn't we be paying real attention to the problem and not just catch phrases at press conferences with talking points for the media?

For those unaware, here in Hartford we have dozens of opioid drug users overdosing every week  on our streets, in abandoned buildings and yes, even in fine homes. Those incidents often don't amount to much  more than a dispatch number on an EMS screen as Police , Fire and EMS are sent out to administer another dose of Narcan.

Sometimes the Narcan works, other times it is too late and the ME responds to recover the deceased body, only to await toxicology results to be added to  the list of the ever increasing number of statewide opioid deaths.

Not surprisingly, many of these victims are quickly forgotten and soon become a statistic in the Medical Examiners files.

Compare that to a Hollywood celebrity who overdoes and is found in time, and it suddenly becomes national news and well wishes and concerns and prayers flood in from around the world. Is Demi Lovato any more of a victim to the opioid crisis because of her celebrity, than say the guy left to die alone after injecting his "hot shot" in an abandoned building on Grand Street.

Life isn't fair I guess.

I probably shouldn't be surprised though. HIV treatment never really seemed to be a huge priority when it just affected Gay men. Once people realized it was quickly crossing over into "straight" society, things changed. Now HIV is very rarely a death sentence and drugs such as Truvada, also known as PREP ( pre-exposure prophylaxis) are readily available as another weapon in a health war.

Maybe Demi Lovato's opioid overdose is a good thing, and I say  that in all seriousness. Maybe the powers to be might realize that no one is safe, and it is not just that dead drug user found cold and lifeless with a needle in his arm in the abandoned building on Grand Street, but it could also be that loved one in your home that sleeps in the bedroom next to them.

More on this soon, and the struggle to find assistance when needed.

Thursday, July 19, 2018

JOIN YOUR NEIGHBORS FOR "MOVIES UNDER THE STARS"

WECA is sponsoring three (3) free movie nights. ALL on Thursdays East Lawn of ElizabethPark:

 


Sound of Music  (1965)

Musical Drama, based on true story

July 19th, Thursday

              

Join us for the Broadway and film classic.

"You brought music back into the house." - Captain von Trapp.

The plot is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. "Somewhere out there is a lady who I think will never be a nun. Auf Wiedersehen, darling." - The Baroness.

So long, farewell, au revoir, auf Wiedersehen! I'd like to stay. Good night.

 

Starring: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer as the Captain, Richard Haydn as Uncle Max, Charmian Carr as Liesl, Eleanor Parker as The Baroness Elsa Shrader, Nicholas Hammond as Friedrich, Kym Karath as Gretl.

Directed by: Robert Wise

Music by: Richard Rogers

Lyrics by: Oscar Hammerstein II

 

 

A League of their Own(1992)

Comedy, based on true story

August 16th, Thursday

 

The movie fictionalizes accounts of the WWII era All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The AAGPBL broke ground for women's sports. Come cheer on the Peaches!!

"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great." - Jimmy Dugan, fictional manager of the Peaches.

"Baseball is what gets inside you. It's what lights you up, you can't deny that." - Jimmy Dugan.

"There's no crying! THERE'S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!" - Jimmy Dugan

 

Starring: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna, Megan Cavanagh, Janet Jones, Tea Leoni, Rosie O'Donnell, David Strathairn, Justin Scheller,

Director: Penny Marshall.

 

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

THIS HAS TO BE A JOKE

This has to be a joke, there is no other logical explanation for it. Yesterday $10 million for a study of tolls and now today, Pedro Segarra nominated as a Workers Compensation Commissioner. Maybe a case of sunstroke?

Governor, after 8 years in office, Pedro Segarra is the best you can come up with?

This erodes the publics trust and any confidence we still have left in our Government with moves like this.

Pedro Segarra, as you are well aware, was a terrible Mayor who couldn't make a decent decision if his life depended on it. What makes you think that has changed and he will now be a suitable Workers Comp Commissioner?

Please Governor Malloy , rethink this and don't make a joke of the process..






GOV. MALLOY ANNOUNCES NOMINATIONS FOR FAMILY SUPPORT MAGISTRATE AND WORKERS’ COMPENSATION COMMISSIONER

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that he is nominating two Connecticut residents to fill vacancies as a Family Support Magistrate and Workers’ Compensation Commissioner.

“The duties of a Family Support Magistrate and Workers’ Compensation Commissioner are critical toward providing the people of our state with the resources needed to seek justice on important life issues, and I thank each of these nominees for taking on this responsibility,” Governor Malloy said.

Family Support Magistrate nominee

  • J. Lawrence Price of Avon : Price is an attorney with 31 years of professional experience as a trial attorney, whose areas of concentration include personal injury, premises liability, family law, dram shop law, liquor liability, municipal litigation, representation before various state boards and commissions, negligent security, negligent supervision, construction, insurance coverage, real estate, arbitration and mediation.  He is currently a partner with the firm of Brown, Paindiris and Scott in Hartford, where he has worked since 2002.  Previously, he worked as Chief Civil Litigator for O’Neil and Associates from 1999 to 2002, and also served as a partner with Gordon, Muir and Foley from 1987 to 1999.  Prior to becoming an attorney, Price was a history teacher in the West Hartford and Farmington school systems.  He is a former member of the Metropolitan District Commission, where he served from 2004 to 2017, and was elected to the West Hartford Town Council from 1986 to 1995.  He is a member of the Chickasaw Tribal Nation.  He received a Bachelor of Arts from Purdue University and a Juris Doctor from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.

Workers’ Compensation Commission nominee

  • Pedro E. Segarra of Hartford : Segarra is an attorney with over 30 years of experience in the practice of law.  Since 2016 he has been of counsel at the law firm of Shimkus, Murphy and Rosenberger in Hartford.  The firm specializes in the areas of real estate, zoning, probate and estate administration, landlord/tenant administration, organizational law, personal injury, and civil and criminal litigation.  He also operates his own practice in the areas of civil, criminal, real estate, probate, bankruptcy, disability, employment, and workers compensation.  His other legal experience includes working as Corporation Counsel for the City of Hartford from 1991 to 1995 and as Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney for the State of Connecticut’s Division of Criminal Justice from 1989 to 1990.  Segarra has held several elected positions in the City of Hartford, including as mayor from 2010 to 2016, and as a member of the city council from 2006 to 2010, which also included service as council president.  He is a graduate of the University of Hartford, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, the University of Connecticut School of Social Work, where he received a Master of Social Work, and the University of Connecticut School of Law, where he received a Juris Doctor degree.

###

For Immediate Release: July 18, 2018
Contact: David Bednarz
860-524-7315 (office)
860-770-9792 (cell)




JOIN THE DISCUSSION WITH NBC CONNECTICUT

July 31 • 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm












NBC CONNECTICUT "AT A PRICE "
COMMUNITY FORUM

Tuesday July 31, 2018 @ 7:00PM

The NBC Connecticut Investigates series, “At a Price!”
 took a hard look at the high cost of living in a state
 with 169 towns and cities. Can we afford to have so
 many municipalities and limited regional government?
 Are we getting our money’s worth? Is there a better way?

Join us for a stimulating discussion on what it means to be
 a taxpayer in Connecticut moderated by NBC Connecticut
 Chief Investigative Reporter Len Besthoff.

Panelists include:
Gary LeBeau, Former Connecticut State Senator
Wildaliz Bermúdez, Hartford Councilwoman / Minority Leader
Jonathan Costa, Assistant Executive Director, EdAdvance
NBC Connecticut Investigates Reporters
Other elected officials and community leaders
This is a chance to have your voice heard. We will be sharing your ideas
and issues with local and state leaders.  And portions of the evening will be used
in an upcoming 30-minute special that will air on NBC Connecticut.
The event is free, but please make a reservation so we know you are coming.
Important! Please be advised that this event is being videotaped/recorded 
for NBC Connecticut (WVIT), a division of NBCUniversal Media, LLC 
(collectively “NBC”).  If you attend this event, you may appear,
 and you agree to appear, in this or another production, in any 
manner and/or media, worldwide, in perpetuity, including in
 advertisements and promotions.  
You will not receive any payment for such use and you waive 
any right to bring any action in law or equity for such use. 


NBC Connecticut: “At a Price!” Community Forum
Tuesday July 31, 2018 @ 7:00PM
The NBC Connecticut Investigates series, “At a Price!” took a hard look at the high cost of living in a state with 169 towns and cities.
 Can we afford to have so many municipalities and limited regional government?
 Are we getting our money’s worth?
Is there a better way?
Join us for a stimulating discussion on what it means to be a taxpayer in Connecticut

 Moderated by NBC Connecticut Chief Investigative Reporter Len Besthoff.