Monday, April 28, 2003

Detox beds trimmed by half (Massachusetts)
Boston Globe story - "Less than a month after the state cut health coverage for 36,000 of its poorest residents and slashed nearly 50 percent of the beds at detox facilities throughout Massachusetts, those suffering the worst addictions to alcohol and drugs already see the difference: It's getting harder for them to sober up. Before the budget cuts took effect on April 1, the state subsidized 997 beds, which last fiscal year helped some 45,000 patients get sober -- at least for a little while. Now, only about 500 beds remain, and by the end of the fiscal year, the number will drop to 420."