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The police officer who visited her house by the Caribbean Sea last winter offered hope in the form of a single word: Philadelphia. Her year-old son, Kelvin Aldarondo, would live in Kensington, where ministers run resort-like, anti-addiction estates where the heroina demons are chased from young people's brains as they ride horses, swim in blue pools, and play day and night on basketball courts fit for LeBron James. Her son would even have a job within five months, she was promised by the officer, as well as a local pastor who endorsed the idea. He showed up, freezing, on Feb. Drug Enforcement says is the purest white heroin in America. Pastor Teo Claudio escorted Aldarondo into a grim, three-story building under the El with around 20 other men sleeping on bunk beds in four bedrooms and sharing three bathrooms. Soon he phoned his mother in a furtive midnight call on a smuggled phone: 'Please, Mama, please,' he begged, 'take me home. The state has formed a task force to look into regulation of recovery houses across Pennsylvania. But under proposed legislation, only the houses throughout the state and city that accept government money would be monitored — a vast minority, according to records. For example, just 21 houses in Philadelphia get city money. And that doesn't address Air Bridge, so widely unknown that William Stauffer, who heads the state task force, had believed the practice was an 'urban legend,' said Jason Snyder, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. Stauffer, who is executive director of the Pennsylvania Recovery Organizations Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy agency in Harrisburg, did not return phone calls. Along with recovery, addicts say, they are promised employment, apartments, and happiness — none of which is delivered. Municipalities figure they only have to spend a few hundred dollars in airfare to save thousands in the costs of drug rehabilitation — which often fails — or incarceration, he added. But nothing was nice there, he said. Last winter, managers in the house forced him to work clearing snow from properties in the neighborhood, then took half the cash he earned. A person who works at the house quibbled with that figure: Management takes only 25 percent of clients' earnings, he said. Aquino eventually left the house, unable to coexist with its operators. He's now homeless and wanders daily around Kip and Cambria streets in Fairhill, thinking of ways to afford the nickel bags of heroin his body craves. He'd told his family he needed cash to return to the island, he said, 'but they don't want to hear about any more of my problems. As he wept, dozens of similarly emaciated young men with sallow skin and nowhere to go walked the streets, remarkably crowded for in the afternoon. Men who arrive from Puerto Rico are forced to apply for food stamps, then hand over their benefits to the recovery houses. The U. Department of Agriculture, which regulates food stamps, now known as SNAP benefits for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program , says it's permissible for a drug-recovery house to require patients to sign over their benefits, as long as the house is providing food. Too often, the operators of these houses will sell SNAP benefits at a discount to unscrupulous store owners and pocket the money, said Elvis Rosado, a coordinator at Prevention Point Philadelphia, a needle-exchange nonprofit that aids addicts in Kensington. Rosado and his boss, executive director Jose Benitez, have worked with Air Bridge victims for years, in some cases rescuing them from virtual incarceration in recovery houses and helping them return to Puerto Rico. Along with rents and fees, recovery-house residents must also turn over any Medicaid benefits or Social Security disability payments they are entitled to receive. Finally, they have to surrender all forms of identification such as birth certificates, Social Security cards, and driver's licenses to discourage the men from leaving, and for the recovery house to retain control over them, said advocates familiar with the system. Near a giant garbage pile, she stopped to survey the forlorn place. It is, she said, the end product of Air Bridge. In when she was 21, Morales was asked by her parents to leave their hometown of Quebradillas, P. She called police. During her brother's time in prison, Morales decided to stay in Philadelphia and build a life. She put herself through school and became a registered nurse, all while fighting ovarian, cervical, and breast cancers. One of her daughters is studying paleontology in college, another is majoring in social work. Though Alvin Morales came here on his own, without Air Bridge, his sister said the practice had weighed on her mind, especially after hearing of many victims who wind up living rough and uncovered at Second and Indiana Streets. She found out through friends that Percida Ramos' son, Aldarondo, had been suffering in Kensington. She started asking questions and searching for the young man from Aguadilla. After industry collapsed in the s and s in Kensington, Frankford, and nearby areas, residents fled and the neighborhoods were left with 30, vacant rowhouses, said Robert Fairbanks, who has taught sociology and urban studies at the University of Pennsylvania and at Bryn Mawr College. For years, people have been buying cheap houses for tens of thousands of dollars, and have set them up as places to house addicts, said Philippe Bourgois, a former Penn anthropologist who lived in Kensington to study drug dealing. Fred Way of the recovery house alliance said many residents of the area inherit houses and call him daily to ask how they can start a recovery house for Puerto Rican addicts. Advocates say the houses seem to have developed as the drug trade in the area spiked. Predatory recovery houses also have flourished, experts say, because Philadelphia is known for having good, legitimate drug-treatment facilities overall. The houses take advantage of that reputation. Rogue recovery houses 'are unethical, people are being harmed, and that's not what we want,' said Arthur C. Still, aside from suggesting to a house operator how he could he could learn to run his place properly, Evans and his department can do little about that. The city's Department of Licenses and Inspections is permitted to investigate recovery houses, but only if it receives complaints related to city building codes and regulations — not drug treatment. Affixed to the front door recently was a yellow cease-operations order, related to problems with improper food preparation in the house. A house manager said things are better there now. Still Saving Lives is run by Baptist chaplain Willis Osario, 57, who said he has traveled to Puerto Rico for 17 years to recruit addicts. To make ends meet, he said, he accepts 'donations' from anyone interested in his work. Rosado at Prevention Point said he receives more complaints from addicts about poor treatment by Osario than any other operator. During the summer, Still Saving Lives got some unwanted attention. Ferrer's parents had flown in from the island and posted fliers with their son's picture on telephone poles in Bridesburg and Kensington. His mother said he first tried heroin in Philadelphia — in the recovery house. He was eventually found by police and wound up in Hahnemann University Hospital. His parents flew him home. When Percida Ramos first told her son Kelvin Aldarondo about going to Philadelphia for treatment, it seemed to make sense. Many Puerto Ricans believe that programs on the mainland must be better. But the strict, God-based agenda preached by Pastor Teo Claudio at Soldiers of the Lord recovery house was devoid of medical care, Aldarondo said. Claudio demanded he hand over his birth certificate, insurance card, and Social Security card, Aldarondo said. Inside Soldiers of the Lord is a dilapidated, dark, church-like sanctuary, with many of the ceiling tiles missing. Exposed wires droop, and a no-pest strip studded with dead flies swings back and forth. The place smells sour and stuffy, like garbage and crammed-in men. The kitchen is well-stocked with meats and other foods, and a pantry holds hundreds of Entenmann's doughnuts, for sugar cravings. After he called his mother, complaining, she phoned Claudio, who told her that her son didn't want to get better. Claudio, a year-old minister, said that he remembers that 'Kelvin needed me. I treat all the people here like family. He acknowledged that he occasionally yells. You cannot be a nice piece of work all the time. The recovery house has seen problems in the past. Two former residents who fled Claudio's program died. The body of Jose Medina-Rodriguez was found in a vacant house three blocks away in October The agency would not release further details. Told Aldarondo had accused Claudio of withholding his birth certificate when he left the house, Claudio said, 'He's right, I didn't give him back his birth certificate. Charito Morales was able to intercede, helping pry Aldarondo from Claudio's control, then bringing Aldarondo to Girard Medical Center for 90 days of drug treatment. A Girard psychological assessment of Aldarondo after he'd lived around five months at Soldiers of the Lord described him as 'helpless, hopeless, and powerless. Aldarondo and Claudio didn't part on good terms. Morales said that she accompanied Aldarondo to the county assistance office on Lehigh Avenue last month, where they both learned that Aldarondo's SNAP benefits had been used uninterrupted since March Aldarondo has requested a state Department of Human Services investigation into Claudio for food-stamp fraud. DHS will not comment. The young man is at another house now, and hopes to feel stable enough to go home soon. His mother said she will be on edge until her boy returns. What he found was far different from what he and his mother were promised. In Arecibo, Puerto Rico, a homeless man rests outside of Posada San Felipe, a state-run facility after eating the free meal of the day. The building is not a shelter but gives the homeless to a place to get food and a shower and wash their clothes. In Fajardo Puerto Rico, Roberto Pereira of Intercambios Puerto Rico, an advocate group for drug users and addicts, goes through an abandoned house that had recently been used as a shooting gallery. Local police had gone through and rounded up all that were found in the house. Roberto Pereira of Intercambios Puerto Rico examines paraphernalia on a table used to mix drugs left in a shooting gallery in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico's state police say Arecibo sends more addicts to Philadelphia - 57 between and - than any other place on the island, according to the Cook County Ill, sheriff's office. Carmen Albizu, a physician and a public-health professor at the University of Puerto Rico, says the recovery houses are harmful to those they purport to treat. Carla Correa left and Roberto Pereira of Intercambios Puerto Rico unpack needles offered as a needle exchange during a health fair at a hospital in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Drug vials litter the floor of an abandoned house once used as a shooting gallery in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Roberto Abadie, a anthropologist from the University of Nebraska. Carlos Aquino, who says his mother was fooled into sending him to Still Saving Lives. They could be a prank, initiation, rite of passage, a drug sign or simply a method of disposal. Claudio concedes he took another addict's birth certificate and food stamp benefits. So I came here. Isn't it terrible? Isn't it inhumane? Still Saving Lives recovery house at Orthodox St. Soldiers of the Lord recovery house at right under the El in Kensington. Soldiers of the Lord recovery house has seen problems in the past. Two former residents who fled the program died. It was the rest of the day that proved an ordeal. And I am always God-first.

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Bayamon buying Heroin

Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. During the last decade, the veterinary anesthetics have gained popularity as recreational drugs. Drug users were recruited from communities of the San Juan metropolitan area using a variety of ethnographic and outreach strategies. A short questionnaire developed for the study collected information on sociodemographics, xylazine use, and its consequences. The two focus groups were conducted to discuss the details related to xylazine use, its consequences, and utilization awareness. The sample comprised 63 males The mean number of years of drug use was The prevalence of xylazine use was Focus groups revealed that drug users claimed to recognize the presence of xylaxine in a mixture of speedball based on its effects, taste, the color of the drug dark brown , and its odor. In conclusion, the use of xylazine among drug users in Puerto Rico seems to be an emerging trend with potentially serious health consequences. Sentinel drug forecasting systems often fail to adequately identify and assess emerging trends in the use of illegal drugs. As a result, public health systems are rarely able to adequately mobilize local, regional, and national prevention and treatment systems in a timely manner. Xylazine is a partial alpha-2 adrenergic agonist with characteristics and toxic actions similar to the phenothiazines and clonidine. In Puerto Rico, use of animal tranquilizers as drug adulterants or recreational drugs has recently been reported in several studies, the mass media, and among health practitioners. The influence of xylazine as an emerging adulterant is of great concern not only because it is a drug whose effects are not known in humans, but because preparation practices in several studies in Puerto Rico show that even hardcore drug users might not be aware of what they are purchasing. A study by Colon and others 7 within the metropolitan area of San Juan, Puerto Rico found heroin over reporting when corroborating self-reports with drug urine tests. The authors suggest the over reporting might have something to do with the xylazine trend and that some study participants might be inadvertently consuming xylazine instead of heroin. Moreover, xylazine users were found to have a high prevalence of skin ulcers The aim of this study was to document the use of xylazine and its health-related problems among a sample of drug users in Puerto Rico. A combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques was employed to both gather and analyze data. The target population from which the sample was drawn included drug users out of drug abuse treatment residing in communities of San Juan, Mayaguez, and Aguadilla. The sample was recruited from May to August During this period, 89 drug users were contacted and recruited in 12 communities. Ethnographic mapping strategies were used to identify drug markets and other venues where drug users were known to congregate. At predetermined sites and times, outreach workers approached drug users, determined eligibility, and invited them to participate. Individuals were considered eligible if they were at least 18 years of age, had used drugs in the last 30 days, and had not been enrolled in drug abuse treatment within the last 30 days. A short questionnaire developed for the study collected information on sociodemographic characteristics, xylazine use, and health-related problems. Drug use patterns and HIV risk behaviors were measured using a revised and culturally adapted version of the risk behavior assessment. Frequency distributions and descriptive statistics were used to describe the study sample. Bivariate analyses using chi-square tests of independence were used to examine the association between xylazine use and its covariates. A multivariate logistic regression model was fitted with xylazine use as the dependent variable and age, gender, years of injection, and speedball use as independent variables. The covariates included in the logistic regression model were chosen based on the bivariate analysis. Observations and unstructured ethnographic interviews were conducted on the copping sites, shooting galleries, and other drug use venues in San Juan and Aguadilla. Two focus groups were conducted in Mayaguez with frontline drug treatment providers to explore details related to xylazine acquisition, use, health-related problems, and utilization awareness. The sample was predominantly male The main route of administration of xylazine was injection Overall, the mean number of years of xylazine use was 3. In terms of health-related problems, On the other hand, Table 3 shows a bivariate analysis of xylazine use. Ethnographic data from observations and interviews suggested that drug users, especially injectors, were well aware of a new corte adulterant that has been used with heroin known as anestesia de caballo literally translated as horse anesthesia. Although most of the participants identified this new substance as some sort of veterinarian product, mostly an analgesic, none of them, including focus groups participants, related it to xylazine. In fact, none of them knew the term xylazine. Some drug users, however, reported that they began using anestesia without knowing it. Drug users from Aguadilla reported that xylazine anestesia could be purchased either as a heroin adulterant known by the street name of Piqui-piqui or a base drug adulterated with heroin known by the street name of anestesia. In San Juan, drug users did not report such distinction. Participants in all sites reported that xylazine had turned into a dominant trend and finding heroin free of xylazine was becoming quite difficult. Results from both focus groups and ethnographic interviews revealed that drug users claimed to recognize the presence of xylazine in the drug mixture based on its effects, taste, color of the drug dark brown , and odor. Some of the participants also reported that occasionally, the drug solution crystallized during the drug preparation process. Drug users from all sites reported that since they began using xylazine, they noticed a strong odor coming from their breath, perspiration, urine, and feces. They also noticed they were spending more time sleeping since using it. Many of the drug users reported an increase in abscess, ulcerations, and other skin lesions. Figure 1 shows examples of the skin lesions observed in the study communities. Photos showing skin lesions among drug users in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This study identified that xylazine is more likely to be used by males and it seems to be mixed mostly with speedball. Xylazine as an adulterant of speedball was also previously identified in Puerto Rico by Rodriguez and collaborators. Skin ulcerations could be considered the primary health concern identified in our study sample. Several cases of human xylazine intoxication have been documented, which include initial hypertension followed by hypotension, bradycardia, 2 orthostatic hypotension, and respiratory depression. Several clinical reports have suggested that lower skin oxygenation is associated with less wound healing and higher incidence of wound infection. The continued consumption of xylazine at unknown doses could progress skin oxygenation deficit contributing to chronic skin ulceration. Our study identified overdose episodes reported by This information should not go unnoticed since several authors have documented that some cases of severe human xylazine intoxication, either intentional or accidental, have resulted in fatalities. Considering the abuse pattern identified in Puerto Rico, the CDC recommendations could apply to every person that manages xylazine on the island. Drug treatment programs should assess xylazine use at intake. Although many of the participants of our focus groups reported knowing how to recognize the presence of xylazine in a mixture of speedball, awareness should be raised among drug users of the possible presence of xylazine in drug mixtures. In case of an intoxication, Barroso and collaborators 2 and Liu et al. In some cases, endotracheal intubation may be needed. Some limitations should be considered when interpreting the results of this study. First, xylazine use was based on self-reports, and thus, its reports were subject to recall bias and denial. However, self-reported data have been used in multiple epidemiologic studies of drug use and have proven to be reliable and valid. For example, xylazine by itself may not be the only contributor to skin lesions and overdose. Despite these limitations, the findings of this study documenting the potential effects of xylazine among drug users in Puerto Rico are compelling. The findings of this study suggest the abuse of xylazine in Puerto Rico is an emerging public health problem. As reported by participants, xylazine is becoming a dominant adulterant in the drug market. Further research is needed to identify the risk factors associated with xylazine use and its health consequences. As a library, NLM provides access to scientific literature. J Urban Health. Find articles by J C Reyes. Find articles by A M Padilla. Find articles by T D Matos. Find articles by R R Robles. Issue date Jun. Open in a new tab. Similar articles. Add to Collections. Create a new collection. Add to an existing collection. Choose a collection Unable to load your collection due to an error Please try again. Add Cancel.

Bayamon buying Heroin