New refund rate is great news, enough blame for everyone, response to Reynolds

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Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to [email protected].

The new reimbursement rate is great news

There was some incredible news from Augusta recently regarding the significant increase in reimbursement rates for Mainecare for the treatment of residential substance use disorders! Wellspring is extremely pleased with the new tariffs, which come into effect on November 1, 2021. They will allow programs to hire for long vacant positions and pay our hardworking staff a salary worthy of their professional and superhero status. .

Mainecare SUD’s last rate increase was over 10 years ago. As a public entity serving the most economically vulnerable people suffering from the disease of addiction, the wait has been tough on the development of the program and has significantly hampered our ability to hire and retain staff. Our small teams of clinicians and support staff have worked tirelessly throughout the COVID pandemic as well as during the still heart-wrenching opioid epidemic. They worked long hours with minimal staff and showed great dedication while wearing their hearts on their sleeves. I am deeply touched and have great admiration for everyone employed by this non-profit organization.

Equally important to note that this increase will allow the organization to strengthen the quality of care we provide and increase access for people with substance use disorders, not only here at Wellspring, but also statewide. Thanks to Governor Janet Mills, Director of Opioid Response Gordon Smith, Health and Social Services Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew, Director MaineCare Michelle Probert and Director of the Office of Behavioral Health Jessica Pollard for their unremitting efforts to resolve this longstanding problem.

Suzanne farley

Executive director

Source

Nautical sports

Enough blame to go around

The recent Bangor Daily News article from September 7 “Submerged mortuaries belies US illusion of defensive pandemic” wasted little ink before directly and indirectly blaming Republican policies in all fields for the recent wave of COVID Delta.

Recall that on June 2, President Joe Biden kicked off the summer festivities and a return to “normal”. Declaring a summer of freedom, he promised “… a summer of meetings and celebrations. An all-American summer that this country deserves after a long, long, dark winter that we have all endured. As a result, and with its apparent blessing, almost all COVID restrictions have been dropped. People traveled freely, got together and partied. The result speaks for itself.

There seems to be a fair bit of blame to be shared.

Larry Balchen

Jonesport

Reply to Reynolds

I found V. Paul Reynolds’ letter in the BDN on September 4th incredibly hypocritical. He denounced how irresponsible President Joe Biden was in withdrawing our troops from Afghanistan and how he abandoned our allies, and that he should resign.

For starters, I think any ideas that it could have gone much easier are purely speculative at this point, as there is no real way to find out. I would like to ask Reynolds where all this outrage was when former President Donald Trump abandoned our Kurdish allies, who were staunch allies and fearless fighters. I don’t think they would have folded up like a cheap tent like the Afghan fighters did. He let the Kurds get slaughtered by the Turks.

Where was Reynolds’ rage for Trump and his Republican allies, as they urged supporters of the Big Lie that Trump won the election, to march to the White House and fight like hell? They incited these people to attack our capital in an attempt to overturn the results of free and fair elections. People died and many were injured because of this act which I think was treason.

Where is his outrage for all the Republican-led states that are busy passing voter suppression legislation? Where is her outrage at a conservative Supreme Court that just this week proved to me that it was of no use to the Constitution when it left a sweeping abortion law in place in Texas?

For my part, I am glad that someone is finally man enough to face the political fallout and get us out of this never-ending war.

Mike Avery Sr.

Milford

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