Bishopville Residents Need Consideration
Editor:
(The following letter was addressed to Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan with a copy forwarded to this newspaper for publication.)
I have just finished reading in the July 21 issue of The Dispatch your and Public Works Director Hal Adkins’s comments on improving the flow of traffic off the island. I was both alarmed and amused by comments made by Mr. Adkins concerning the traffic light at Route 90 and St. Martin’s Neck Rd. Alarmed that he obviously hadn’t researched his ridiculous contention that “if one person comes out of Bishopville and signals (?) the light, it ties up everybody leaving,” and amused that on any one weekend day from July to September between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. traffic is backed up on St. Martin’s Neck Road from said traffic light one to two miles trying to get in to OC.
Since the advent of shortest route navigation apps, on weekends when Route 90 going into OC is snarled, the intrepid visitor follows his navigation’s alternate route down St. Martin’s Neck Road. The light is not “tripped” with the first car, but many minutes later allowing a significant backup on St. Martin’s (up to 35 minutes on weekends). Since you and your Public Works Director’s focus is on the visitor’s quality of experience when visiting OC, and it should be, let’s not let this issue go down the same path of other contentious issues when the interests of the visitors to OC is given more weight that the area’s residents (reference Cruisin weekend, etc.).
I live at Lighthouse Sound and for the past three years have been trying to get the county and state to be more cognizant of the welfare of the residents of Bishopville. In an emergency situation, we’re stuck. No access to Route 90. We have been trying to get a right hand turn lane onto Route 90 west to no avail. We deal with the traffic caused by the inability of OC to move traffic into town. No one is asking the city to do any more than they are to correct the almost impossible task of putting the proverbial “10 pounds of potatoes into a five-pound sack.”
I think it would be in all our best interests that the elected and appointed officials of OC concentrate on their problems and do not make an already bad situation for its neighbors worse.
Bruce R. Tortoreti,
Bishopville
Naxolone Vote Shortsighted
Editor:
There are at least two sides to a topic or issue, including whether or not to provide inmates being released from prison with Naxolone. I understand policy makers being wary of doing something that, on the surface, appears to be a “pass” for addicts to return to their addictions. But after reviewing and witnessing stories and results of various perceptions, tactics, and programs surrounding addiction recovery, I believe providing inmates with Naxolone upon release is worth a five-year trial.
Imagining myself being an inmate about to be released, I am sufficiently detoxed. I have attended AA, NA, and/or Al-Anon meetings (or similar programs) while incarcerated. Upon release, unless court ordered to go to a halfway house for recovering addicts, I will return to where I came from prior to incarceration. Chances are high that I will associate with the same people as I did prior to serving time.
If I am released without Naxolone, my chance of relapsing is high. Despite today’s numbers of overdoses, my concern about relapsing is minimal because to addicts the prospect of death caused by using is a likely fact. Some, if not most, of my social network will be involved in risky behaviors, and they will not discourage my return to my old ways.
If I am released with Naxolone, I am leaving with a container of hope. My accepting it indicates I have a preference for life – either my own or someone else’s. Obviously, if I overdose, I cannot administer the product to myself; but I will hope someone else will know how to administer it to me. I might even go so far as to teach a few people close to me how to do that. Or, I might be in the presence of someone else who overdoses and needs to be revived – an experience I’ve no doubt would have a lasting, profound effect on me and bring to ultimate clarity how essential it is to never take addictive drugs again.
Why society continues to keep the “needy” in need after witnessing the devastating effects doing so has on society in general, not to mention the loss of hope it can extract from those in need, is beyond my comprehension. Until the policy makers themselves experience addiction and the effects of incarceration themselves, they will never appreciate the stigma, exclusions, and barriers addicts encounter. We keep throwing away money on reactions to addiction that have been practiced for generations. It would make sense to spend money on something different that may very well prove successful in the long term.
The public is kidding itself if it believes releasing incarcerated addicts with Naxolone would give the addict a reason to resume his/her addiction in the outside world. The reality is that if the addict is going to use, he/she will do so regardless of whether or not Naxolone is available. The signal an addict will receive if released with Naxolone is that the outside world does care about him/her and wants the inmate to remain alive, with hopes of choosing to live drug free. So many addicts in recovery have shown their desire to “give back” and help others go through the process of a successful recovery. That, in and of itself, is impetus for the rest of us to help that movement continue.
I ask that residents pressure their representatives to reconsider their latest vote, and do the right thing by giving “release with Naxolone” a five-year opportunity. With the epidemic we currently face, we have absolutely nothing to lose; but we sure do have something priceless to gain.
Maeke Ermarth
Ocean City
Keeping Seniors Safe In Summer Heat
Editor:
Our nurses and therapists check on patient progress and recovery every day. If they need a wound dressed, their blood pressure checked or physical therapy, we take care of it during our home visits. But what if your senior family member or friend doesn’t have a medical reason for someone to check on them on a regular basis? You care about them so you probably take time out of your busy schedule to check in on them. This is even more critical in extreme weather conditions — from a snow storm to a heat wave, like the one we are feeling right now. It is important to check in on high-risk friends, relatives and neighbors at least twice daily.
It sounds crazy but sometimes people don’t realize how hot it really is or that the heat is even affecting them. The ability to notice changes in body temperature decreases with age as with specific health conditions like heart disease. Poor circulation can also affect the body’s ability to adapt to higher temperatures, and some prescription drugs can contribute to dehydration. All of these can equal a recipe for disaster
Here’s a few tips for seniors to stay safe when the temperatures start to rise:
Stay hydrated: Drink water before you become thirsty
Talk to your doctor: Check to see if any of your medications can be affected by the heat
Visit cool spaces: It doesn’t hurt to take trips to the grocery store, mall or a restaurant for a little relief
Stay in touch: Let family and friends know if you plan to spend time outdoors in the extreme heat, even if it’s to garden or walk the dog.
Know your neighbors: Maybe it’s a younger neighbor who can make an easy trip to your house to check in on you
Know who to call: Keep list of people handy to call in case of an emergency
Nancy Bagwell
Salisbury
(The writer is the area director of operations for Peninsula Home Care.)
Wind Farm Support
Editor:
As a supporter of offshore wind due to all the potential jobs and economic benefit it will bring to not only Eastern Maryland but Baltimore as well, I’m frustrated by Ocean City’s intractability on the siting of these wind farms.
Hasn’t Ocean City been in on the planning of these wind farms for several years?
Didn’t the developer already push out the wind farm by five miles (making it 17 miles off the coast)?
I’m mostly concerned right now due to the amendment Representative Andy Harris has proposed which would delay the projects. If these projects are delayed won’t the industry and jobs associated with them go to other states – like Massachusetts for instance.
Did you see that a wind farm has just received site approval 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Here’s my question: If they’re not concerned about the impact on property values and tourism in Martha’s Vineyard, why is Ocean City so concerned? And, shouldn’t we all be looking at the much bigger picture of bringing good jobs to Maryland instead of letting them go to another state?
Is Maryland “open for business” as we always say or isn’t it?
Thank you for reading.
Paige Davey