A small rehab center for short term care in W. Palm Beach Fla. Internet photo.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor at Blogfinger.net
As we noted recently, Gov. Christie said that he would prioritize the problem of opioid substance abuse which has caused many deaths in New Jersey, especially in Essex, Ocean, Camden, and Monmouth Counties.
He is promoting a new bill that would mandate insurance coverage for such treatment by commercial companies. Federal mandates already exist for Medicaid.
Philly.com says, “While the Affordable Care Act requires substance-abuse coverage, New Jersey could account for the federal law’s potential repeal by passing state legislation.” (Source article by Philly.com reporter Maddie Hanna.)
“If the federal law goes away, it reverts to whatever the old state law was,” said Joel Cantor, founding director of the Center for State Health Policy at Rutgers University.
Very few states have such laws. The N.J. proposal would provide for inpatient coverage for up to 30 days for those who qualify. There have been some objections about the emphasis on inpatient vs. outpatient care. The Laingdon proposal for Ocean Grove would seem to fall under the heading of outpatient care, although maybe the housing component would categorize it as inpatient care. Regardless, increased funding would increase the pressure to create more such services for those who would be housed while undergoing treatment. (This is the model described for the Laingdon/Sprout concept.)
Our town would be a perfect location for places to house clients after an inpatient admission or for outpatient care. We have old hotels/boarding houses as well as homes (especially multi-family) which could be used for small residential operations doing short term care. But if there is an explosion of investment in such facilities in NJ, the article says that there will be zoning battles around the state (see quote below.)
Here is another quote from the Hanna piece, “There is an inadequate supply of substance-abuse treatment services, period. Not just in New Jersey, but around the country.”
“Others spoke Monday of challenges to opening treatment centers, including zoning battles. ‘I used to have a saying: It’s easier to open up a gentlemen’s club in this state than it is to open up a drug and alcohol treatment program. And that’s not far off from the truth,’ Tom Allen, co-founder of Summit Behavioral Health, told Senate lawmakers.”
It’s important for those of us who care about the Grove’s future, our lifestyles, our historical preservation, and our home values to keep an eye on zoning approvals and to take them seriously as precedent-setting events.
We cautioned about the zoning manipulation that allowed Mary’s Place, but hardly anyone seemed to care. And, even though the Laingdon application was withdrawn, we need to stay alert. The key will be the Zoning Board of Adjustment use variances
BARBRA LICA:
We have learned from a Grover citizen reporter that the Naples Florida Daily News reported on Feb 3 that a request to open an alcohol and drug rehab center on Marco Island was turned down even though these would all be high paying voluntary admissions with criminal background checks and lock down at 7 pm each night.
The article says, “Many residents expressed concerns about the location of the facility, noting that the neighborhood in which it would be located is currently a “safe neighborhood” full of kids who would have to walk past the center on their way to school. They also questioned the facility’s security, arguing that the patients could potentially leave through fire exits and wander the streets.
“This is nothing we want on Marco Island,” one resident said. ‘They can go to Naples.’
“Ed Issler made a motion to deny the conditional-use permit that would allow the facility to open, which received a robust applause from those in attendance.”
There will be a battle in any residential community that puts such an application on the drawing board.
@Penny, i assure you that there are people living right here in Ocean Grove that have substance abuse problems. And not living in the places you think.
The picture at the head of this article is perfect. Living in Florida i saw plenty of high end luxury drug rehab facilities. There are plenty of wealthy people who would pay to have a place to send their kids that’s a little more upscale but smaller in clientele. I wouldnt be surprised to see more places pop up along the NJ coast
Doug, it starts with a small group of people that recognize our right to live in the type of town we choose to live in.
If you are interested, I’ll see you at the next Township Committee meeting.
Jack,
How would OG go about doing that?
The idea that a fight against the Laingdon application could be accomplished with a $5,000.00 legal retainer is a joke. Such a battle would be uphill all the way and would require every expensive legal experts.
Any such fight by towns like OG would be made more difficult by laws designed to protect such shelters from being denied by locals.
Drug abuse rehab facilities should not be in residential areas, and if there is another zoning challenge in OG, the citizens should fight it and not be intimidated by bleeding hearts. There are plenty of more isolated areas that could be used elsewhere such as in towns with known drug issues such as Asbury Park and Neptune Township.
The Neptune Township Planning Board, and Board of Adjustment never met a variance they didn’t mind imposing on O.G.
If O.G. separated from Neptune, (and we can) there would be no legal requirement for us to create a Planning Board or a Board of Adjustment. That would be optional, pursuant to land use law.