Test Drug Counselors LA Times says !

March 12, 2008

Carl G. Mueller, Nam 68 Phone: (909) 866-9310
PO Box 120707
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315 In Reply Refer to: March 12, 2008

AND
Mr. Don Damewood (916) 324-9624,
Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs Fax (916) 324-4505
Compliance Branch ddamewood@adp.ca.gov
1700 K Street
Sacramento, CA 95814-4037

Subject:
My morning phone conversation on February 21, 2008 with Mr. Don Damewood and the related results of that day. I’m writing this letter to you Mr. Damewood to reinforce the points of our conversation and hope others might help in the fight against drug counselors who may be poorly trained and are NOT drug tested and NOT in compliance with California’s Proposition 36. Citizens expect counselors not to be counseling while being high on Drugs.

Like I said on the phone, the problems with Proposition 36 program at Operation Breakthrough, (OB) here in Big Bear Lake, CA is just like the problems with the Loma Linda, CA VA hospital addiction treatment program. That problem is poorly trained and poorly monitored counselors. These counselors, if I understand our phone conversation correctly, are tested *one time a year. I have yet to meet a drug counselor who was not first an addicted drug user. The success rate for treating FIRST time addicts is around 2% therefore there is a likelihood of these counselors falling back into drug use. Testing these counselors only *once a year is irresponsible. It’s also unsafe and irresponsible for politicians and the news media not to continually bring this 98% failure rate problem to the minds of the citizens. The news media likes to state that the success rate is almost 50% but that’s for those trying to stop after 3 or more serious attempts.

Mr. Damewood, Did you call OB Supervisor Mr. Waring?
After our phone conversation on Feb. 21 I went to my 1:00 o’clock counseling session at Operation Breakthrough. To my surprise I was given my “Certificate Of Completion”. I’m thinking there was a hidden motive as to why I was granted an early graduation one day after almost getting kicked out of the counseling group. I think your calling OB Supervisor Mr. Waring, (760) 365-3592 as I suggested on the phone, persuaded the fast graduation date. Did you call him and talk about OB’s Mrs. Ortega and Ms. Gay Bumstead?

Why an early graduation date?
In the 1:00 o’clock OB session a woman named Julie said, “They gave you an early graduation just to get you out of the group.” No one objected to her statement. The possible reason why was because the group became “spirited” (one woman named Kathy even walked out the door) when I said,
Calling the cops on your drug dealer should be taught in group and not glorifying the drug dealer by giving them the title “Connect”. This type of talk got me put on probation/contract for 30 days by OB Supervisor Mr. Waring. According to the probation contract this “cop calling” was considered as being negative to the development of group members. I proudly gave myself the title “cop caller” as a warning to OB drug pushers to stay away from me.

OB counselor Mrs. Francesca “Frankie” Ortega:
A different but the most resent example about me causing disturbing thoughts to Counselor Ortega was that on Feb. 20, 2008 I asked why a group member Mario, was no longer in the group? I continued by asking, “Was it because Mario got a job, and the job for Mario was more important then group? Rather then Mrs. Ortega saying no, Mario is still attending the groups but at the 5 o’clock group, Mrs. Ortega made a point to put me down by enthusiastically saying, “It’s non of your business what Mario is doing.” Mrs. Ortega now having gotten herself worked up repeated the statement, “If you don’t want to be here then leave. No one’s forcing you to stay here.” I was feeling so insulted that I almost lost my cool and walked out, but I said to myself, “She’s baiting me.”

This was unprofessional conduct by Mrs. Ortega, and what makes it also unpleasant for me is the fact that Mrs. Ortega knows my problem is suicidal thinking. This type of behavior by Mrs. Ortega (a confessed drug user herself) is not unusual. (Example: She once over did it about the word fu$k and its effectiveness when describing certain feelings/situations. She must have used the word about 20 times in a one minute arousing type dialogue.) I think Mrs. Ortega took it too personally when I said the “Connect” should be called a slime-sucking bottom dwelling drug pusher. I think Mrs. Ortega, like counselor Ms. Gay Bumstead should be tested randomly for drugs two times a month just like OB’s Proposition 36 drug patients.

Support for my drug testing claim is professionally stated in the LA Times article on March 11, 2008 page B3, by reporter Charles Ornstein. The Compleat article is at the end of this letter. Email Mr. Ornstein at: Charles.ornstein@latimes.com Also a March 6th article (summarized) about a drug using teacher stealing lunch money from her Autistic student.

OB counselor Ms. Gay Bumstead admits drug use while counseling:
Mr. Damewood, do you remember during our Feb. 21, 2008 phone conversation that we also talked about Ms. Gay Bumstead an OB counselor? Ms. Gay Bumstead was filling in for Mrs. Ortega on Feb. 18, 2008. I told you that Ms. Bumstead said to the group that when she was a counselor there was a time when she would come in high on drugs and conduct a group. She used that story to make the point as to how sickening drugs can make a person act. I’m also using her story to make the point that so-called former drug users who have become non drug tested counselors can go back to using drugs and then can destroy lives of Prop 36 clients. If you Mr. Damewood, told this Gay Bumstead OB group confession to OB Supervisor Warning, as your position would demand, then that too might be a reason for a early graduation?

I recommend outsourcing drug testing of counselors to a third party. Testing should be fully independent and transparent. This would instill public trust and ensure accountability. The problems is politicians don’t want the public to know that Prop. 36 has a failure rate of 98%. Housing, counseling, and recycling these drug users through the court system is a profitable revenue source for Big Bear Lake.

Whose job is it to see that Proposition 36 is enforced, as citizens would expect?

We need change and if your children or grandchildren turn into drug users don’t blame me; I’m just the cop-caller not the “Connect”.


Sincerely,

Carl G. Mueller, Nam 68


PS
Update: February 26, 2008, 9:30 a.m.
I just got off the phone with Ms. Dianna Cervantes, and she told me, contrary to Mr. Damewood, that each individual Prop 36 drug program Supervisor *tests it’s counselors as often or as un-often as they want. I told Ms. Cervantes that’s like having the fox guard the hen house.

Prop 36 needs greater oversight. Both Ms. Cervantes and Mr. Damewood appeared helpless in regarding the drug testing of Federal VA hospital counselors. Prop. 36 management also needs to be held responsible for the 98% failure rate. Some Politicians, government employees and media personal need to be removed for being slackers.

e-mail Ms. Dianna Cervantes dcervantes@adp.ca.gov
e-mail C-SPAN, viewer@c-span.org

Veterans PTSD http://ptsdcombat.blogspot.com/


LA Times: March 11, 2008
Audits of treatment programs sought:

The planned end of confidential diversion for doctors spotlights procedures for others in the medical field.

SACRAAAMENTO: In light of wide spread failings in a state run treatment program for substance-abuse doctors, a key state senator said Monday that audits are needed of similar programs for nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals.

Sen Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) called a legislative hearing in the wake of a decision by the Medical board of CA last year to abolish its confidential addiction program after five audits found that it was not working.

Ridley-Thomas said he was troubled that reviews had never been conducted on the seven other healthcare boards that offer so-called diversion programs. Under such programs, drug and alcohol-abusing healthcare providers avoid public disciplinary action by receiving treatment and agreeing to random drug tests, among other things. Their participation is kept private from their patients and the public.

Because “so much is at stake,” Ridley-Thomas said, public confidence demands that audits be done.

The senator also said he was concerned that there weren’t common standards to govern the different boards’ programs. Some allow health professionals to continue practicing while receiving treatment and others do not.

“II’m not sure that an ‘impaired healthcare professional’ whether it be a nurs, a doctor, a pharmacist, a physical therapist ought to be treated any differently because of his or her particular profession,” said Ridley-Thomas, chairman of the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee.

Carrie Lopez, director of the state Department of Consumer Affairs, which provides administrative support to the boards, agreed that her department needed to do more and said it would perform an audit in the future. The outside contractor that runs the diversion programs for seven healthcare boards said it was open to additional scrutiny.

The hearing rehashed arguments for and against the medical board’s program, slated to end in June.

Complaints about drug-addicted doctorss will then be investigated like any other complaint to the board. Public allegations will be filed, and if up held, disciplinary action taken.

Dr. Richard Fantozzi, president of the medical board, and patients injured by drug-addicted doctors said physicians should be treated no differently from others caught with drugs or alcohol.

“It was clear that withholding information from the public about impaired physicians who had violated the medical practice act could not be tolerated,” Fantozzi said. “This equated to a lack of public protection provided by the board and the pppppprogram.: But advicates for doctors urged the Legislature to step in and crate an alternative to the board’s abolished diversion program. They said doctors might not disclose their problems if they faced the possibility of disciplinary action. charles.ornstein@latimes.com

March 6, 2008
Theft from autistic girl brings [6 month] jail term:
A staff member at Camarillo High lifted money [$5.00 each day] from a lunch box on 57 occasions.

LA Times article shows the sickness that methamphetamines does and the kindness the court has towards drug users even if the user hurts an autistic child.

Article shows how a special education teacher was stealing the $5.00 lunch money from her 13-year-old autistic student (who couldn’t talk) on 57 occasions. A plea agreement allowed the drug charges dropped even thought the teacher tested positive in a urine test for methamphetamines and a drug pipe was found in her purse. The teacher was also convicted in 2001 of theft at a Mervyn’s store where she worked and sentenced to 15 days in jail, but the district never learned of the criminal record because she was not in the district database, said Roger Rice, a district official for the Oxnard Union High School District. Rice said they will spend about $30,000 to up grade their database system know as “Live Scan”.

Point is:
Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs Compliance Branch should upgrade its system so when a concerned citizen calls about a complaint with a therapist who appears to be on drugs, the Alcohol and Drug Department can do a check on that employee.

If lack of money and personnel is a problem then Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs should indicate that to the complainer. In this case I’m the complainer and all I get is vague chitchat or a vague letter from the CA Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs Compliance Branch. My Politician US Congressman Jerry Lewis and Sen. Dianne Feinstein seem a little more accountable and I thank the LA Times reporter Tami Abdollah (tami.abdollah@latimes.com) for at least writing and showing the Judge’s excessive kindness to a convicted thief, drug users, autistic child abuser. Please pray the school district’s wellness (not just chitchat) to protect autistic children happens.