Category Archives: General
After losing her daughter to fake drug ‘treatment,’ she now seeks to save others
MAY 10, 2017 FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—Five days after losing her daughter to a drug overdose in a South Florida sober home, Jennifer Flory found herself standing before a task force set up to investigate sober homes. “My daughter passed away on Thursday night and I’m coming here to get her stuff – and her – and… Read More »
‘Finally,’ Scott declares opioid epidemic a public health emergency
Responding to months of public outcry, Gov. Rick Scott declared a public health emergency Wednesday in the fight against the opioid epidemic, a sea change in what had been a hands-off approach by state officials to a crisis that has killed thousands. “Today I feel relief — relief that the voices of so many… Read More »
Sober home cleanup bill on path to OK after dangling all week
With a heavy dose of local lobbying, the bill to crack down on bad sober homes survived a key calendar call Wednesday to make it to the Senate floor Thursday. It must pass the Senate twice before lawmakers stop hearing bills on Friday. Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, whose task force shaped… Read More »
Get a second opinion—doctors usually aren’t right the first time
Even after four years of college, four of medical school, and three to seven more of residency, doctors still may not get diagnoses right on the first try. In fact, they’re more likely than not to be at least a little off. In a study published (paywall) April 4, researchers from the Mayo Clinic… Read More »
WHY COPS SHOOT
Chuck Wexler is the executive director of a group of police executives who study issues like use of force. He said a full third of police shootings nationwide are cases in which the suspect was unarmed or cases where police could have avoided putting themselves in harm’s way, like unnecessarily standing in front of… Read More »
County considers $1M for opioid fight
Palm Beach County commissioners will consider a variety of options Tuesday to combat the rampaging opioid epidemic, including the hiring of a senior-level administrative staffer, creating two new positions with the Medical Examiner’s Office and pouring $1 million into a range of treatment programs. Those options are among the recommendations of a 72-page report… Read More »
I knew who to call — but couldn’t save my daughter
One morning in November, while she was home getting ready for work, came a phone call that Easton had always dreaded — her adult daughter, Tasha McCraw, was dead of a suspected drug overdose. Tasha was 33. As the opioid crisis continues to claim thousands of lives, Easton’s struggles underscore the daunting challenges faced… Read More »
‘Dime A Dozen,’ Overdose Crisis Rages In South Florida
Delray Beach is at the epicenter of a South Florida overdose epidemic estimated to have claimed 1,000 lives last year. Medical examiners are still counting. Delray Beach Fire Rescue Chief Neal de Jesus brought in a stress management counselor to help his firefighters cope with the overdose deaths. “They’re seeing deaths at a rate… Read More »
UPDATE: Ex-PBSO deputy bonds out of jail on patient-brokering charges
WEST PALM BEACH — A former Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy arrested Tuesday on patient-brokering charges has been released from the county jail. West Palm Beach police say Robert “Bobby” Simeone, 46, posted $45,000 bond late Tuesday, hours after his arrest. He is accused of paying two sober home owners hundreds of dollars a… Read More »
Sober home owner Kenny Chatman pleads guilty, faces life in prison
Notorious drug treatment center owner Kenneth “Kenny” Chatman pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracies to commit money laundering, health care fraud and sex trafficking, charges that could land him in prison for life. Handcuffed and shackled, Chatman listened as a federal prosecutor told how he turned patients into prostitutes: He gave them drugs to induce them…. Read More »
