A woman, with drawn cheeks and well into her forties, steps out of the jurors box and takes a seat before Judge William Davis in his Siskiyou County courtroom. She just had a relapse, another hurdle in a life-long struggle with drugs and alcohol that contributed to her sons entrance into foster care six years ago. I have support, the woman says while fidgeting, now seated at a table before the bench. But something is missing here, and I know that. Its not a failure to say that you need something beyond what you are getting, Judge Davis says calmly. That actually takes courage. I dont want to scold or berate you about using. I just want to help you. I know that, the woman says. The jury box is almost full. Ten parents, all to children involved with this countys juvenile dependency system, come here as often as once a week as they fight the substance addictions that contributed to their children entering foster care. In Siskiyou County these proceedings are called Family Dependency Treatment Courts. In other jurisdictions they are called Family Drug Treatment Courts (FTDC), or other variations on the same theme. The prevailing philosophy driving the … Continue reading →

THE Center for Health Development (CHD) in Davao Region staged its soft opening of the Outpatient and Aftercare Center for Drug Dependents located inside the Department of Health (DOH) in Davao Region compound along J.P. Laurel Ave. Thursday morning. No less than Undersecretary Edgar Galvante of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) and Assistant Secretary Benjamin Reyes graced the inauguration of the P7-million two-storey building. Program manager Rustum Fanugao Jr. said the facility is the first-ever outpatient center for drug dependents in the Philippines. "The purpose of this facility is to cater outpatient drug users who will surrender voluntarily. Most of the patients in the rehabilitation center have been arrested so this facility is built to help drug pushers who will surrender," Fanugao said in the vernacular. Fanugao said the Outpatient and Aftercare Center for Drug Dependents has many support groups composed of different families who have a drug dependent family member who will help in spreading the advocacy of their program. "We are confident that the advocacy of the program will easily be a widespread as the different support groups are very passionate about solving the issue of drugs because they are also suffering from it," he said. Fanugao added … Continue reading →