Florida Governor Bush's Veto of Methadone Money May Send Addicts Back Onto Streets

A decision made earlier this month by Gov. Jeb Bush to veto a $1 million appropriation for three South Florida methadone clinics could affect more than the patients who depend on their daily dose of the heroin substitute, critics say. The governor's veto slices subsidies for 313 people addicted to opiates, 60 of whom are infected with HIV, said Janice Smith-Rouse, regional manager of the clinics: Broward Treatment Center in Hollywood, Pompano Treatment Center and West Palm Beach Treatment Center. Smith-Rouse said her clients are worried that if they cannot receive their methadone, they might be back on the streets looking for a fix.

Mark Senseman, spokesperson for Colonial Management, which owns the clinics, said the veto "came out of the blue" and could have a ripple effect in the community. He said that if the patients with HIV return to the streets to get heroin, they run the risk of spreading the virus. "If even 10 percent of those HIV patients go back to sharing needles, it seems like this could end up costing the state more in the long run," Senseman said.

Liz Hirst, the governor's press secretary, said funding for the program was vetoed because it was considered "outside the scope of the Department of Health services." Drug addiction programs usually fall under Florida's Department of Children & Families (DCF).

Philip Dickey, who is in charge of prevention programs for DCF in Palm Beach County, said the program's funding came from DCF until two years ago, when the former clinic owner lobbied to move it to the Department of Health. "When it moved over there [to the Department of Health], it became a special line item, subject to veto. When it was part of our budget, it was not subject to veto," said Dickey. Bill Parizek, a Department of Health spokesperson, said his agency is working with DCF to find a solution.

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