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Blanco pledges to include Recovery Community in Health Care Summit

Jindal fails to respond to nonprofit questionnaire on state’s addiction woes

BATON ROUGE — Gubernatorial candidate Kathleen Babineaux Blanco has
pledged to include Louisiana residents recovering from addictive disorders and professionals in her proposed health care summit. Blanco made the pledge in response to a question by a Louisiana nonprofit organization to the runoff candidates for governor about their approaches to lessening the impact of addictive disorders on individuals, families and communities.

Candidate Bobby Jindal failed to respond to the question which was put forth by HopeNetworks, a Baton Rouge based nonprofit focused on providing resources to address the impact of addictive disorders.

Both Candidates for Governor were asked for statements on how or if they would increase access to treatment services in light of a recent study by economist Dr. Loren Scott which showed that the state $5 saved for every $1 it spends on the treatment of addiction. In addition, the candidates were sent a report that identified $813 million in annual direct costs to our state’s general fund for alcohol abuse/addiction. HopeNetworks also provided the candidates a CASA socioeconomic impact statement showing direct and indirect costs of addiction at a staggering $8 Billion annually in Louisiana. At no time, did HopeNetworks demand special meetings with either candidate.

Blanco issued the following statement when asked about the $813 million  dollar drag on our economy, the low access to treatment services for our state, and the 50 years since and increase in alcohol taxation. ”As you  probably know, as a legislator I authored and passed the licensing bill for substance abuse counselors when treatment centers were first coming  on the scene. I do appreciate the entire situation - as hardly anyone is left untouched by the negative effects of alcohol. I would like your support and I will work to bring a sense of balance to these problems. Sincerely, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco”

Blanco’s campaign also assured HopeNetworks Membership that the recovering  community would be invited to play a vital roll in her  proposed Health Care Summit.

Despite assurances from the Jindal camp, the campaign did not respond to HopeNetworks question regarding the approach the candidate would use to address the substance abuse problems that plague the state. HopeNetworks executive director Samantha Atkins said Jindal’s campaign also failed to deliver on a pledge to include approaches to addictive disorders in his campaign website section dealing with health care.

 “Mr. Jindal has dodged our requests to address these issues despite the costs they inflict on our state. Mr. Jindal should know that addiction is our number one public health problem in Louisiana,” Atkins said. “Untreated addiction and the related social ills are bankrupting our state.”

Atkins praised Blanco both for her response to the question and her  willingness to include the recovery community in her campaign’s pledge to reform health care in Louisiana.

“We applaud Ms. Blanco for her open mind to find solutions through best practices and her efforts to directly communicate when asked,” Atkins said. “Her understanding on a personal and professional level of our treatment gap in Louisiana brings a sense of hope for the 35,000 people that seek treatment and are turned away every year.”

Atkins said that there are 60,000 people active in recovery in Louisiana. She said her group and that community does not endorse candidates but had questioned the candidates as part of an effort to inform members of the recovery community about the positions of the candidates on issues of relevance to them.

“We encourage the candidates to take the time in the remaining days of the election process to further address proposed strategies in reducing the $813 Million in annual cost for alcohol abuse/addiction alone, which steals from our schools, our roads, universities, economic development efforts and virtually any policy meant to grow communities,” Atkins said.

Addiction is a disease, that when untreated is costly, yet the cost of treatment is minimal. Learn more: at WWW.HOPENETWORKS.ORG

Poverty, incarceration, and illiteracy plague efforts to grow Louisiana. HopeNetworks.org is a grassroots, all volunteer organization that seeks to reduce the impact of addiction on our communities. The group works by educating, and advocating for healthy policy related to the disease of addiction. Focused on education, events, and working with policy makers.

Blanco's Invitation to citizens from her website- businessmen and women, community leaders, teachers, working people and families. I want to know what you think about the challenges Louisiana faces. I want you to tell me what your Governor can do to become more effective and more successful as Louisiana’s leader.

If we work together – citizens and government – I believe we can address challenges that have held us back for too long. I believe we can learn from each other and agree on what it will take to make Louisiana the state its people need and want.

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