Pubdate: Wed,  2 May 2001
Source: Record, The (CA)
Copyright: 2001 The Record
Contact:  http://www.mapinc.org/media/428
Website: http://www.recordnet.com/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prop36.htm 
(Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act)

WORTH THE RISK

Women's Drug-Rehab Center Holds Promise Of Being Exemplary Program 

Normally, a drug-rehabilitation center across the street from a high
school and within walking distance of three elementary schools wouldn't
seem like a good neighborhood fit. 

That's not the case with a Walden House rehabilitation center for women
and their children planned for 1700 S. El Dorado St. 

The quality of this program -- as well as its limits and parameters --
should make it an important cog in restoring troubled San Joaquin County
residents to full, substance-free health. 

Walden House, with 17 facilities in California, is one of the nation's
premier residential treatment programs. 

It combines traditional clinical treatment with a therapeutic community
model. There is 24-hour-a-day supervision. 

It's the track record and quality of both Walden House and its partner,
Healthcare Services Inc., that convinced Stockton Unified School
District officials not to oppose a use-permit change for the site. It's
important to note that SUSD chose not to endorse the project either. 

The Stockton Planning Commission unanimously chose the wise course in
approving conversion of a housing project for the elderly into a
residential drug- and alcohol-treatment center for women recently
released from prison. 

There are some crucial reasons: 

* It is part of a statewide program by the California Department of
Corrections Office of Substance Abuse. 

* Before their incarceration, participants will already have spent six
to 12 months in a separate, intensive, primary substance-abuse program. 

* The program is limited to women and children. 

* Participants already are expected to return to residence in San
Joaquin County. 

* All participants are nonviolent, low-level offenders; there will be no
sex offenders in the program. 

* There will be screening before prison release; a parole officer will
determine visitation rights; most visits will occur elsewhere; a parole
officer will be on site for eight to 10 hours per day. 

Like it or not, there is a crying need for such facilities in U.S.
society today. With the passage of Proposition 36 last year, more and
more such rehab centers will be needed. The initiative mandates such
treatment over prison time. 

The city is counting on the reputation of this program to mesh well with
its south Stockton site. 

Understandable neighborhood skepticism persists, and we can't help but
wonder what kind of community outcry would have been heard had a
location somewhere near Benjamin Holt Drive been under consideration. 

We're trusting that Terry Hull Sr., president of Property Management
Experts, meant it when he said the 34 displaced seniors would be moved
to other housing "thoughtfully and carefully." 

We're trusting that Christopher Geiger, director of criminal-justice
programs for Walden House, was right when he said property values in
other communities have actually gone up once the rehab centers opened. 

We're trusting that this facility will be a good neighbor and no threat
to public safety in the area. 

If those things don't prove to be true, we're trusting the city to keep
a close eye and remember that the permit is conditional, requiring a
review in six months. For now, we agree that this treatment center is
worth the risk.
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MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk