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KEEP IT SIMPLE

RE: “Portland’s Bet on Forcing Developers to Build Affordable Housing Is Getting Lackluster Results” [News, Jan 31], News Editor Dirk VanderHart’s piece about Mayor Ted Wheeler’s efforts to give developers financial incentives to build affordable housing.

Gosh, turns out that no matter how you try to contort it, the free market is a terrible tool for providing human beings with the things they need to survive. I am shocked.

Tax the rich and build public housing. It isn’t complicated.

publichousingplz

POT DOCTOR

RE: “Can Medical Professionals Lose Their License for Using Cannabis? ” [Ask a Pot Lawyer, Jan 31]. “If you are a medical or legal professional with a substance abuse or mental health issue, please contact the Health Professionals’ Services Program or the Oregon Attorney Assistance Program,” wrote Will Patterson. “Treatment is confidential.”

I’m not familiar with the Oregon Attorney Assistance Program, but I know the Health Professionals’ Services Program. Had you reviewed their self-referral process, it would reveal that it is a punitive model of monitoring and mental health medication compliance that is NOT confidential.

According to the Health Professionals’ Services Program, “When a licensee self-refers, HPSP will work with the licensee to develop an individualized monitoring agreement and will keep the licensee’s enrollment confidential as long as the licensee is in compliance with his or her HPSP monitoring agreement.”

“Monitoring agreements” have nothing to do with federal confidentiality laws and could simply be urinalysis testing. If you miss an appointment, it could mean you are “out of compliance”—and that’s all they need to notify an employer.

There are plenty of treatment providers who are required to keep substance abuse treatment information confidential, except under extreme circumstances. Health professionals can easily find help from sources like findtreatment.samhsa.gov.

Phil Broyles
Executive Director
Teras Interventions and Counseling, Inc.

THE POT LAWYER RESPONDS! “It certainly does make sense for anyone seeking treatment to make sure they understand the terms of that treatment,” says Ask a Pot Lawyer columnist Will Patterson. Teras Interventions and Counseling is a direct competitor of the Oregon Health Professionals’ Services Program.

THE METALS INDUSTRY

RE: Ann Romano’s “One Day at a Time,” Ann Romano’s weekly news and gossip column.

I am Mike Buckley and I work for Calbag Metals Co. My boss and I religiously read Ann’s column and enjoy it very much.

Calbag Metals Co. has been around since 1908 and has been recycling metals ever since. The owner, Mr. Warren Rosenfeld, is a third-generation owner and has been politically active going back to 1968 when his father hosted a dinner at his Portland home for Robert Kennedy.

We would love to invite Ann Romano to tour our facility and explain what we are doing to help the environment and tell her how much we enjoy her weekly vitriol and sarcasm.

Mike Buckley
Calbag Metals Co.

ANN ROMANO RESPONDS! Thanks for reaching out, Mike! I am married.

SO LONG, FAREWELL

RE: We don’t know. The Mercury in general?

You are all out of your minds.

This is the dumbest thing I have ever read and makes me happy to be moving 200 miles away from this shithole City.

GOOD BYE IDIOTS!

Mark Moline

Mark! We were going to give you the Mercury’s letter of the week, along with two passes to the Laurelhurst Theater! But since you’re moving 200 miles away from this shithole city, we’ll use them ourselves. Thanks!

2 replies on “Letters to the Editor”

  1. Dear Pot Lawyer and Mercury, I am posting in the public comments area this time so the helpline info Mercury cut from my letter last week will now be immediately available to your readers. Anyone(not just healthcare professionals) can find a mental health/addictions provider at https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/ OR through the helplines for Oregon: SUICIDE LIFELINE Call 800-273-8255 , Text 273TALK to 839863, ALCOHOL & DRUG HELPLINE Call 800-923-4357 Text Recovery Now to 839863.
    Mercury also needs to correct (PL’s) inaccurate comments about our services in “Pot Lawyer Responds!”,”Teras is a direct competitor of the Oregon Health Professional Services Program” (OHPSP) with the following factual information.
    Fact: It’s impossible for Teras to “compete” with OHPSP – They are a licensing board’s disciplinary administrative service-We provide addiction counseling services to anyone in Portland and can’t “compete” with their exclusive provider network.
    Fact: Teras is a not for profit outpatient addictions provider approved by The Oregon Health Authority(OHA) to serve anyone with or without legal or workplace related issues- except for the people in the OHPSP. We provide some of the lowest cost addiction services in Portland and have no financial or other interest in the OHPSP.
    Just to be clear PL and Mercury-It’s IMPOSSIBLE for Teras to compete with any part of the Oregon Health Professional Services Program for any financial resources and we commented ONLY because we wanted your readers to have accurate info on where to get help.
    If PL and Mercury would like to publicly expose real financially motivated conflicts of interest in addictions treatment- why not do a story about the corrupt practices of some of the DUII Court’s privately owned for profit evaluation and referral services and OHA’s refusal to hold them accountable?

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