| WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Legislation authored by Reps. Larry Bucshon, M.D. (R-IN) and Paul Tonko (D-NY) to improve and reform the treatment for opioid use disorder passed the House floor on Wednesday.
“Most of us know someone – a family member, friend, or neighbor – who has been impacted by this epidemic in some way. Unfortunately, opioid abuse and addiction are on the rise in Indiana and around the country. That’s why it’s so important we work together on a comprehensive solution to improve our efforts on all fronts – treatment practices, prevention measures, and law enforcement,â€Â said Bucshon. “As a physician, I’ve focused on improving access to treatment for Americans battling opioid use disorder. Our bill helps expand access to wide-ranging treatment options and reduce improper use and abuse of treatment medications. I’m proud of the bipartisan support for our efforts and will continue working to see this measure become law.â€Â H.R. 4981, the Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Expansion and Modernization Act, was introduced by Reps. Larry Bucshon, M.D. (R-IN) and Paul Tonko (D-NY) and passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee on April 27, 2016. H.R. 4981 amends the Controlled Substances Act to expand access to medication-assisted opioid addiction treatment, ensures patients have access to a wider range of comprehensive, evidence-based treatment options, and helps minimize the potential for drug diversion. The legislation is the product of months of stakeholder engagement, expert input and bipartisan negotiation. H.R. 4981 passed the House floor and was a part of a comprehensive effort by the House to address opioid abuse and addiction this week. During debate, Dr. Bucshon spoke on the House floor urging support of legislation he authored to update and reform the treatment of opioid use disorder. Video of his speech can be accessed here: https://youtu.be/EK_Q4xMrtvk. |
Congressman Bucshon’s Opioid Addiction Treatment Bill Passes House
Court Orders More Proceedings On Waiver Moves
Scott Roberts for www.theindianalawyer.com
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed summary judgment for state defendants in a lawsuit brought by Medicaid patients who claimed their move to a new waiver with a cap on expenses violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. The court said the way the patients spent their expenses constitutes an issue of material fact, and they may have been able to receive more services had they spent their money differently.
The case combined two appeals from the Southern District of Indiana where Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson granted summary judgment the defendants on plaintiffs’ claims their transfer from the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s Aged and Disabled Medicaid Waiver Program, where there is no limit on services, to the Family Supports Medicaid Waiver Program, where there is a cap, violated the ADA’s integration mandate. That mandate says “shall administer services, programs, and activities in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities.â€
There are seven people who constitute the plaintiffs in the two cases. They claim that before their transition to the FS waiver they were able to enjoy 40 hours a week in community activities such as eating in restaurants, window shopping and visiting flea markets, but since their transfer that has to be cut to 10 to 12 hours per week due to the cap. Some plaintiffs have been moved back to waivers without a cap, but others remain.
Chief Judge Diane Wood wrote that the plaintiffs’ claims fall within the scope of the integration mandate under the Department of Justice’s interpretation. The FSSA’s action to switch waivers separates disabled and non-disabled persons and is a violation. The state argued the mandate only applies to people who have actually been institutionalized, but the 7th Circuit said that interpretation is too narrow. The state also argued that availability of another waiver is a safeguard against gaps in the care the patients now receive, but since the patients are ineligible for those other waivers, it makes no difference, the 7th Circuit ruled.
The plaintiffs argued for changes in the requirements for the A&D waiver and the Community Integration and Habilitation Medicaid Waiver to allow them to be placed on either of those, since those have no caps. The 7th Circuit said Indiana offered no evidence that changing these requirements would fundamentally alter their programs. “The state has made no showing that its criteria are ‘necessary for the provision’ of the relevant services in this case,†Wood wrote. “It cannot avoid the integration mandate by binding its hands in its own red tape.â€
However, Wood wrote that patients do have a choice in how they spend their money under the waivers, and this creates a genuine issue of fact as to whether the policy has caused their isolation from the community.
The plaintiffs also were seeking class certification for all people who were moved from the A&D waiver to the FS waiver and are not on the other capless waiver who also require more services than the FS waiver provides. However, the 7th Circuit agreed with the District Court that this definition was too vague, despite “serious reservations.†Wood wrote the court did not know what the word “require†meant: if that was for medical purposes, community interaction or some other purpose.
The 7th Circuit remanded the case for further proceedings to determine if the waiver move violated the mandate.
Indiana Homeland Security Foundation Awards More Than $175,000 in Grants to Local Public Safety Agencies
Indianapolis – Governor Mike Pence today announced the Indiana Homeland Security Foundation has approved more than $175,000 in grants to aid local public safety agencies statewide.
“These grants demonstrate Indiana’s commitment to the safety and security of its citizens,†said Governor Pence. “These funds and this program are saving Hoosier lives. They allow public safety agencies to purchase equipment that support daily operations and enhance their abilities to provide lifesaving responses. This administration is proud to continue to partner with our local safety officials to prioritize the wellbeing of Hoosiers.â€
Awards were given to 48 recipients in 36 counties. Recipients include local fire departments, emergency medical services, law enforcement and emergency management agencies in all 10 Indiana Department of Homeland Security districts.
The focus of the foundation is to support the future of public safety and to provide grant funding to local agencies for critical needs across Indiana. Grants provide up to $4,000. Eligible projects include:
- Equipping emergency responders with personal protective equipment;
- Acquiring equipment for use by emergency responders;
- Providing radios and technology equipment; and
- Training for emergency responders
In 2015, the Indiana Homeland Security Foundation awarded more than $370,000 in grants to aid local public safety agencies. The Indiana Homeland Security Foundation is funded through the purchase of “Secure Indiana†license plates. These funds provide grants to public safety agencies and scholarships to students statewide.
Softball Picks Up numerous MVC Awards
Coaches, Florey, Parr And Norris Recognized
 CARBONDALE, Ill. – A big night saw the University of Evansville softball team earn several Missouri Valley Conference awards at the pre-championship banquet on Wednesday night.
Headlining that were two specialty awards. Head coach Mat Mundell and assistants Ashley Balazs and Aubrey Watson were named the MVC Coaching Staff of the Year while Morgan Florey garnered Freshman of the Year honors.
“We are truly touched and honored to receive this recognition from our peers. The real credit goes to our players for buying in and helping us get Aces softball moving in the right direction,†Mundell said. “We can’t thank our players enough for a great season.â€
“Morgan had an unbelievable freshmen year,†Mundell continued. “She has made a tremendous impact for us in the circle and at the plate.”
The coaching staff turned around a team that went 10-45 and 2-23 in conference play in 2015 into a true league contender as the squad was 24-25 overall and 12-14 in conference play in 2016. The primary improvements have come on defense as the staff ERA went from 6.61 last year to 2.92 in 2016, which was third in the MVC. It is the first Coach of the Year honor for the program since Rita Schulz and Dee Stevens were honored by the North Star Conference in 1985.
Florey was named the 2016 MVC Freshman of the Year. In her first season with the Purple Aces, Florey was one of the top pitchers in the conference and also one of the top freshmen hurlers in the nation. Florey finished second in the MVC with 209 strikeouts, a tally that is just eight away from breaking the UE single-season mark of 216.
Her ERA of 1.95 was third in the league while the four saves she earned tied the single-season mark for the Aces. On offense, Florey batted .301 with 8 home runs and 26 RBI. Her 23 RBIs in league play was 4th overall while her tally of seven conference homers also tied her for 4th place.
Three Purple Aces players also made their way onto the All-Conference Teams. Florey along with junior Chandra Parr earned a spot on the All-MVC First Team while Susan Norris was named to the All-Defensive squad.
“It is great to see Chandra, Morgan, and Susan get recognition for the season they have had,†Mundell said. “Chandra really blossomed this season at second base for us. Her offense has always been there but she took her defense to the next level this year. Susan played the conference season at an elite level defensively. She has been a game changer for our defense especially down the stretch”.
For Parr, it marks her second such honor. As a freshman, she made the squad in 2014. She finished the regular season hitting .306 with six homers and 23 runs batted in. It is also the first honor for Florey, who was one of the top overall players in the nation, contributing in the circle and at the plate. It is the first time UE has had two 1st-team players since 2009 when Jen Stahlhut and Kylie Wagner were recognized.
A steady glove at third base saw Susan Norris finish the year with a .977 fielding percentage. That helped her earn a spot on the MVC All-Defensive Team. She made just three errors in 80 attempts while notching 49 put-outs.
UE looks forward to its opening-round matchup against Illinois State on Thursday at 1:34 p.m.
“Rick Stein†Girls’ Basketball Camps begin in June
University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball Coach Rick Stein announced that openings are still available for his Southern Indiana Girls’ Basketball Camps, which begin June 10 with the shooting camps for grades 5-12.
In addition to the June 10 shooting camp, the Rick Stein Southern Indiana Girls’ Basketball Camps feature Day Camps for grades 1-8 (June 13-16); the Screaming Eagle Shootout for middle school and high school (June 18); an Overnight/Commuter Camp for grades 6-12 (June 19-22); and a High School Team Camp for varsity and junior varsity teams (June 24-26).
All camps will be held at the Physical Activities Center on the campus of USI. For more information go to www.gousieagles.com or call Rick Stein at 812-465-7108.
VANDERBURGH COUNTY FELONY CHARGES
Below is a list of the felony cases filed by the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office today.
Matthew Bruce Curl Theft, Level 6 felony
Theft, Level 6 felony
Darius Shawtee McNary Possession of methamphetamine, Level 4 felony
Theft of a firearm, Level 6 felony
Maintaining a common nuisance, Level 6 felony
Lamario Denton Operating a motor vehicle after forfeiture of license for life, Level 5 felony
Larry Edward Wilson Operating a motor vehicle after forfeiture of license for life, Level 5 felony
William Daniel Ising Dealing in a narcotic drug, Level 4 felony
Christopher A. Seibert Conspiracy to commit possession of a narcotic drug, Level 6 felony
Possession of a narcotic drug, Level 6 felony
Neglect of a dependent, Level 6 felony
Possession of a controlled substance, Class A misdemeanor
Operating a vehicle with a Schedule I or II controlled substance or its metabolite in the body, Class C misdemeanor
Justin Andrew Reising Theft, Level 6 felony
Resisting law enforcement, Class A misdemeanor
Possession of marijuana, Class B misdemeanor
Jamie Lee Storey Possession of methamphetamine, Level 6 felony
Public intoxication, Class B misdemeanor
Christopher Kenneth Altman Intimidation, Level 6 felony
Resisting law enforcement, Class A misdemeanor
Public intoxication – common carrier, Class B misdemeanor
Richie Pete Jarvis Neglect of a dependent, Level 6 felony
Neglect of a dependent, Level 6 felony
Ariel Louise Dutton Operating a vehicle while intoxicated, Level 6 felony
Battery against a public safety official, Level 6 felony
Criminal mischief, Class A misdemeanor
Darian Lee Givens Dealing in methamphetamine, Level 3 felony
Destinee Renee Minth Possession of methamphetamine, Level 4 felony
Theft of a firearm, Level 6 felony
Maintaining a common nuisance, Level 6 felony
Jathar Devaughn Douglas Sr. Domestic battery, Level 6 felony
Justin Andrew Reising Possession of a narcotic drug, Level 6 felony
Attempted theft, Level 6 felony
Possession of methamphetamine, Level 6 felony
Criminal mischief, Class A misdemeanor
USI BB Has 9 Named All-GLVC
University of Southern Indiana Baseball had nine players receive All-GLVC East Division honors Wednesday night at the GLVC Baseball Awards Barbecue. The All-GLVC-East is selected by a vote of the league’s head coaches.
The nine All-GLVC honorees are one short of the USI record of 10 all-conference players in 2014.
Headlining the All-GLVC East first team for USI is senior rightfielder Kyle Kempf (Evansville, Indiana); senor catcher Ryan Bertram (Zionsville, Indiana), and senior shortstop Kyle Niemeier (Evansville, Indiana).
Kempf, the only unanimous selection on the All-GLVC East squad, is a three-time first-team All-GLVC East selection. The 2016 preseason All-American and 2015 NCBWA honorable mention All-American is second on the Eagles with a .356 batting average, while tying for second with 40 RBIs. The senior rightfielder, who also has a team-best .516 slugging percentage and 17 doubles this spring, established a new USI all-time record for hits in 2016 and has 281 during his four seasons.
Bertram was selected to the first team after earning second team honors the last two seasons. The senior catcher leads the Eagles with a career-high .357 batting average, tied for second with 40 RBIs, and is third with 15 doubles. A GLVC Player of the Week honoree this season, Bertram also is tied for first on the squad with 13 multi-RBI and 21 multi-hit games this season.
Niemeier, who became USI’s starting shortstop this season, earned his first All-GLVC East honor. He is third on the team with a .349 batting average with 39 runs scored and 31 RBIs. The senior shortstop has started all 50 games and was named the GLVC Player of the Week after hitting a blistering .571 in a 5-0 week that featured a win over the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a four-game sweep of Saint Joseph’s College.
The Screaming Eagles placed six players on the All-GLVC East second team with senior centerfielderHamilton Carr (Evansville, Indiana); senior third baseman Trent Gunn (Tell, City, Indiana); sophomore utility player Drake McNamara (Mt. Vernon, Indiana); junior right-handed starter Colin Nowak (Carol Stream, Illinois); junior right-handed starter Devin Williams (Evansville, Indiana); and senior right-handed relief pitcher T.J. Decker (Brazil, Indiana) being honored.
Gunn earns his second All-GLVC East award after battling through a wrist injury to hit .285 with 38 runs scored, 16 doubles, a triple, and a home run in 50 games. The 2016 preseason All-American posted USI longest hitting streak this season, 15 games, midway through the season.
Carr receives his first All-GLVC honor after batting .335 and a team-leading 45 runs scored. He is the Eagles team-leader with 18 stolen bases and ranks third all-time with 78 career thefts.
McNamara, who also earns his first All-GLVC nod in 2016, has hit .314 with 34 RBIs and ranks second on the team with six home runs. The sophomore also started at three different positions this season for the Eagles, seeing time at first base, left field, and designated hitter.
Nowak, Williams, and Decker earn their All-GLVC honors after leading the Eagles on the mound in 2016.
Nowak is tied for the team lead with six victories and has a 6-2 mark with a 2.24 ERA in 11 starts. He has 50 strikeouts in 68.1 innings of work and has held the opposition to a .240 batting average.
Williams has a team-best 1.95 ERA and is posting a 5-3 mark in 12 starts. He also is second on the team with four complete games and two shutouts.
Decker, who earned GLVC Pitcher of the Week after dominating relief work in the four-game sweep of Saint Joseph’s, leads the Eagles with six saves out of the bullpen, while posting a 2-0 mark and a 2.15 ERA in 21 appearances. The opposition is only batting .168 this season against the senior right-hander.
The Eagles start GLVC Tournament action on Thursday at 5 p.m. (CDT) when they play William Jewell College in the first round. The GLVC Tournament runs through Sunday at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana.
Washington Middle Schoolers to Receive Badge of MeritÂ
AREA KIDS ENJOY BOSSE FIELD ON EDUCATION DAY
Freedom 6-3 on Education Day at Bosse Field. The team got off to a hot start thanks to a towering 2-run homerun by Josh Allen
in the bottom of the first inning. The Otters would score again on a sac fly with the bases loaded in the third. That would be the
last run the team scored as Florence would go on to tie, and eventually take the lead after a 4 run outburst in the sixth. The
Otters had opportunities to make a comeback on several occasions, but failed to hit with runners in scoring position. Florence cruised through the rest of the game after capitalizing on 3 Otters’ errors.  Josh Allen was the brightest aspect of the Otter offense, after finishing the day 4-4 with a single, pair of doubles, and home run.
The Otters open the 2016 season at home against the Schaumburg Boomers on Friday, May 13, at 6:35 p.m.
Tickets are on sale and may be obtained online by calling (812) 435-8686.
Softball heads to Carbondale for MVC Championship
Aces open up against Illinois State on Thursday
The quest for the 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Championship begins on Thursday as the University of Evansville softball team will take on Illinois State in the opening round of the tournament in Carbondale, Ill.
First-round action begins for the 6th-seeded Purple Aces at 1:34 p.m. on Thursday as they face the #7 seed Redbirds. All games will be televised live on ESPN3. With a win in the opening round, UE would advance to face the three seed – UNI – at 6:34 p.m. tomorrow. The winner of that game faces second-seeded Drake on Friday at 2:34 p.m. while the championship game of the single elimination tournament will be on Saturday at 1:04 p.m.
Evansville finished the regular season with a 24-25 mark while going 12-14 in the MVC. The league mark tied the Aces for 5th place in the conference; Bradley clinched the No. 5 seed with the tiebreaker. The record and seed this year mark the best for the program in the last nine years. It is also the first MVC Championship appearance for the team since 2013 when the squad advanced to the championship game against UNI.
A late surge in the regular season saw shortstop Michal Luckett lead the squad with a .312 batting average. The junior recorded a hit in 9 of her last 22 at-bats including a 2-2 effort with three RBIs and three steals in the second game of the series at Loyola.
Also making an impact in the series road win was Morgan Florey. The freshman tossed a complete game in the opener on Saturday and matched that success at the plate. She notched four hits in six plate appearances in Chicago, hitting two home runs and knocking in three runs. Florey also drew four walks in the three games.
Illinois State completed the season with an 18-32 mark and posted a 10-14 MVC record. Riley Strandgard led the way for ISU, hitting .361 on the season and an impressive .405 in Valley play. Freshman Allison Spencer had a solid weekend for the Redbirds as they faced UNI on the road. She recorded a hit in four of her 10 at-bats in the series.
In April, the Aces and Redbirds squared off in a series in Normal as UE took two out of three games. Chandra Parr led the way, notching six hits in 10 at-bats while scoring five times. She also finished with two home runs that weekend. Morgan Lambert also finished the series above .500, notching six hits, including a double and a home run.