Special Report: Renowned US drug-rehab program spun out of control - Reuters
In the two years prior to Szczupak’s arrival, New York’s Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) had twice closed Belle Terre to new admissions after inspectors discovered illegal drug use, insufficient treatment and bad... In each case, Belle Terre resumed admissions after Phoenix House submitted a “corrective action plan” to regulators. He felt he would be stuck going from “dead end job and rehab and jail until I eventually drop dead,” he wrote in a letter to his fiancée. ” He didn’t want to use drugs anymore, he wrote, “but realistically the odds are against me. ”. Sending addicts to treatment rather than jail or prison for nonviolent offenses has become increasingly popular across the U. S. political spectrum. The facility is run by Phoenix Houses of New York, whose parent foundation is one of the nation’s largest drug treatment nonprofits, operating in 10 states and the District of Columbia. In the year ended June 20, 2014, the Phoenix House Foundation and its affiliates reported operating revenue of $141 million. A review of Szczupak’s journal and letters and of state regulators’ reports, as well as interviews with dozens of current and former Phoenix House employees and residents, reveal a respected institution that in recent years has consistently failed... Source: www.reuters.com
