ST. LUCIE COUNTY -- About 75 pounds of marijuana washed up on a South Hutchinson Island beach, north of the St. Lucie Power Plant Wednesday morning. Deputies received a call around 11:30 a.m. from someone saying there were strange packages on the shore, in the 5000 block of South Ocean Drive. The 15 well-packaged bricks had no marks to indicate where they might have come from, said Chief Deputy Garry Wilson of the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office. [continues 186 words]
ST. LUCIE COUNTY -- Local law enforcement agencies have been cashing in on crime more than ever lately, using forfeitures to line their budget coffers. When law enforcement agencies break up a drug deal, burglary ring or other criminal operation, they often come across cars and cash used by the criminals involved. The law enforcement agency involved has the right to try and claim the money or other items seized. In 2002, by mid-September, local law enforcement agencies had filed 26 forfeiture requests. By the same time this year, the number of forfeiture requests had jumped to 33. [continues 393 words]
Perhaps you missed "Family Day: A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children." The third annual event sponsored by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University and endorsed by President Bush, numerous governors and mayors was officially held on Monday. The message of the day, however, is applicable every day. On the Treasure Coast as elsewhere across America, the gathering of family members around the dinner table has declined and is especially infrequent when children become teenagers. Busy schedules notwithstanding, the loss of that family time can have adverse consequences. [continues 325 words]
I'm writing to express my support for Dr. Shah and his Emergi-Center. I first met the doctor years ago in the emergency room at Lawnwood Medical Center where he was then employed. Dr. Shah's center serves this community well. It is an exceptionally well-equipped center with an excellent staff. It allows people who need help to get it without waiting for an appointment. It is like having a family doctor you can see without waiting for an appointment (even on Sunday). My wife and I and many of our friends have been treated there numerous times and no one has told me they were dissatisfied. [continues 60 words]
In view of all the recent attention given to the arrest of Michael McSween, ARNP, and Dr. Darshan Shah of Advanced Care Emergi-Center, I feel compelled to respond. Much focus has been on the compassion and medical expertise of these fine men. I would like to point out another aspect of this rather complicated situation: the issue of pain. The medical society has been given a mandate by the federal government to address the issue of pain. The patient has the right to actively participate in all aspects of pain management and the right to pain relief. Pain has been added as the fifth vital sign, next to temperature, pulse, respirations and blood pressure. [continues 360 words]
FORT PIERCE -- As the St. Lucie County Jail on Rock Road continues to struggle with overcrowding, jail officials continue to struggle with keeping inmates on track to get in or out on time. The situation can be overwhelming and dangerous, according to Public Defender Diamond Litty. "We need to deal with minor offenders in an expeditious manner," Litty said. "Many times, minor offenders sit in jail longer than the maximum sentence for their crime." Litty addressed this ongoing problem with a blue ribbon committee headed up by Chief Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Angelos last month. The solution has come in the way of a new attorney position to be based at the jail. [continues 296 words]
I am writing to show you my support toward Dr. Shah and his staff at Advanced Care Emergi-Center in Fort Pierce. I have the utmost respect for the wonderful care and kindness he has shown me over the past two years. He was the one person to help me through my back surgery. He was always there when I needed him. He took the time to sit with me for more than an hour while I was so depressed and upset with another doctor's opinion on my surgery. How many other physicians would be that thoughtful? [continues 78 words]
Two South Fork Sophomores Say The Numbers Cited In A Youth Survey Were Far Too Low JENSEN BEACH -- Martin County's youths are doing drugs and drinking alcohol at alarming rates. All under the not-so-watchful noses of their parents. "We need to know that it's not OK," said Kristen Klempert, a sophomore at South Fork High School. "It is so accepted. No one speaks out. It's not right." Fellow South Fork sophomore Lauren Moss agreed. "It's a huge problem," she said. "The community has been doing a lot, but it needs to continue." [continues 517 words]
BOGOTA, Colombia- Former Colombian drug kingpin Fabio Ochoa, sentenced to 30 years in a U.S. prison on a drug conviction, insisted in a letter to Colombian media that he was innocent. "I have a clear conscience," Ochoa said in the letter, portions of which were aired on Colombia's FM Radio Wednesday. "I fulfilled my promise to never again break the law when I turned myself over to Colombian justice." As one of the leaders of the deadly Medellin cartel, Ochoa helped transform cocaine smuggling into a tightly run, billion-dollar enterprise in the 1980s. He received amnesty at home after serving a five-year prison sentence in Colombia. [continues 168 words]
I've seen frustration in their eyes. I've heard anger and resignation in their pleas for help. I've witnessed their feeling of helplessness in the face of what seems like official indifference. I've spent time lately with the mothers of northwest Fort Pierce, and they are heartsick at what's happening to their neighborhoods. I heard the mother of a soldier home from the Army describe an attack on her son that was far more frightening than anything he experienced overseas. [continues 569 words]
As Fort Pierce city and police officials and concerned members of the community discuss ways of reducing crime in the city's northwest area, particularly as it affects youth, a national survey released this week may prove helpful in addressing some possible steps to be taken. In meetings Monday and earlier this month, young people and adults in the crime-plagued northwest section of the city urged more activities be made available for youth to steer them away from negative activities such as crime and drug use. [continues 320 words]
This letter is in defense of Dr. Darshan Shah and Mike McSween and Advanced Care Emergi Center. A week before I was to go on a 12-day vacation to Alaska, I developed a severe case of asthma. I knew I could not go on this trip without medical intervention. I decided to go to Advanced Care Emergi Center and Mike was on duty at that time. After X-rays and two treatments on a breathing machine he then ordered the medications I needed to clear up my breathing problems, which I obtained at Eckerd Drug. [continues 99 words]
I am writing this letter on behalf of Mike McSween, ARNP. His recent arrest at the Advanced Care Emergi-Center in Fort Pierce filled me with disbelief and dismay. Mike and I have known each other since elementary school. Besides going to school with Mike, I worked with him in the emergency room where we both were registered nurses. I know if I had to put my life or a family member's life in someone's capable hands, it would be Mike McSween. [continues 91 words]
My name is Joe Hoag. I moved to this area five years ago. This letter concerns politics, a doctor in this area and prescription drugs. Dr. Shah has been my family doctor since I moved here. I am a self- paying, uninsured patient. Advanced Care Emergi-Center makes my health care affordable. I am disappointed in the local politics and the false allegations. I respect the law, but would rather see energy used by the law enforcement to go after real criminals. I hope this is resolved soon. Fort Pierce [end]
This letter is in reference to the false allegations made about the Advance Care Emergi-Center recently. I am fortunate to have health insurance. However, there are over 35 million Americans who are uninsured and do not know what to do in a medical crisis. Often for common medical needs and intervention, they are treated in an emergency room where costs are very expensive. This problem goes beyond local concern. It is a national crisis and cannot be resolved at this level. [continues 72 words]
Keeping up with the fashionable but questionable and unsavory trends in law enforcement nationwide, St. Lucie County is in the business of entrapping, arresting, humiliating and scorning individuals who are licensed by the state to prescribe and dispense prescription drugs. What offenses are these men charged with? Well, it seems strange I admit, but they are being charged with prescribing and dispensing prescription drugs. Go figure! I have not read the pertinent Florida Statutes that govern prescription writing, but my guess is that they do not place a number on the pills or potions that a licensed person may prescribe or dispense. [continues 575 words]
I'm writing about Richard Sinnott's outstanding letter: "Drug prohibition at root of problem," July 1. Could you re-print his letter and place it on your front page and keep it there until the insanity known as our war on drugs is over? Ninety years ago, pure pharmaceutical grade Bayer heroin was legally sold in local pharmacies for about the same price as Bayer aspirin. Ninety year ago, we had about 1.8 percent of our population addicted to drugs, according to U. S. federal Judge John Kane of Colorado. [continues 120 words]
I am writing this letter to voice my opinion for Dr. Shah. I don't know what he did to be charged the way he was, but until the facts are known, I support him and will continue to use his services. the following is my experience with Dr. Shah's office: One night in September of 2002, after my husband (Tim) had come home from work he had taken some medication and within minutes he was complaining of severe itching. [continues 924 words]
My daughter and I have been patients of Dr. Darshan Shah and the Advanced Care Emergi-Center since April 2000. I cannot believe the attack that has been launched against both Dr. Shah and Mike McSween, ARNP. Close to closing time on a Friday night in April 2001, I took my daughter to Dr. Shah because she was in anaphylaxis shock. Dr. Shah saved her life that night. I witnessed the most professional, qualified and caring work of any physician and medical team. [continues 360 words]
In rebuttal to the letter, "Too many abuse drugs and booze": If life was a choice, to succeed or fail, the low working class today would not exist. We could sit in our riches and dictate who makes mistakes. Sadly this is not the way the world works. Unfortunate people do not choose to fail in life, they are simply dealt a card. It's by chance we are happy with our life or not. Do we do nothing to provide for ourselves? Not every decision made in life is declared brilliant, but we live and learn. [continues 96 words]
