Delaware

Millions in Delaware opioid relief dollars at risk of ‘fraud, waste, abuse’

Published

6 months ago

July 8, 2024

Millions in Delaware opioid relief dollars at risk of ‘fraud, waste, abuse’

Code Purple awarded $570,000 for day center, wraparound services

In 2021, when Delaware began receiving the first wave of opioid settlement money, lawmakers unanimously approved a bill that created the fund and the distribution committee and made them part of the Behavioral Health Consortium.

The overarching goal, a synopsis of the bill said, was “to ensure that settlement money is used to remediate and abate the opioid crisis and is not diverted to other purposes.”

Code Purple Kent County applied for two grants from the fund.

The agency first sought and received $70,000 to provide a mobile van and wraparound services for people struggling with opioid addiction. Services included transportation to treatment, housing, job training, medical assistance and child care, as well as support groups, social events, computer access and a pantry with free items and furniture, according to Hall-Long’s government website.

The agency later was awarded $500,000 out of $980,000 it requested to operate a day center for people struggling with addiction, mental health issues, and lack of housing. Hall-Long’s website said the money would go toward “short-term term respite care, case management, individual and group therapy, job training and placement, COVID-19 testing, and other services that address the social determinants of health, such as food, transportation, clothing, and financial support” over a three-year period.

In August 2023, the agency received $290,000 of its allocation. Days later, Zaragoza contributed $1,200 to Hall-Long’s gubernatorial campaign.

Jennings and Susan Holloway, director of the distribution committee, said they received complaints in late 2023 and referred them to York. The auditor would not agree to an interview about the ongoing investigation.

Holloway also did not agree to an interview, but said in a written statement issued by Hall-Long’s office that the dozens of opioid settlement grant recipients are monitored by a staff member who “regularly communicates with grantees, conducts site visits, and assesses compliance. Funding is frozen if discrepancies are flagged and validated.”

Holloway’s statement said that in the case of Code Purple, her staff “noticed data inconsistencies, which triggered a manual review of the numbers. Unsatisfied with the review, funding was immediately frozen while staff conducted two site visits to gain more insight’’ from the agency.

“They were unsatisfied with their additional review and as a result, funding was then permanently frozen in December 2023, and the organization has not received money since.”

Holloway said her office notified Jennings’ office in December that funds to Code Purple were frozen.

Her statement emphasized that it was her office’s “monthly reviews that uncovered the potential issues at Code Purple, investigated further, and took immediate action to freeze funds and notify the proper state agencies for further investigation.”

Hall-Long’s statement piggybacked on what Holloway said.

“The commission employs a rigorous process in evaluating and ensuring compliance with all grantees, with grant awards being considered during public meetings first at the commission with final approval from the Behavioral Health Consortium,’’ she said.

“The disbursement of funds occurs in phases after thorough data reviews and site assessments. Non-compliance with these standards results in an immediate cessation of funding for the recipient. In addition to having funds halted, an awardee would be referred to the proper state agencies for investigation, ensuring that violators are subject to the appropriate consequences. This process worked recently when issues were raised.”

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Delaware

A Delaware Water Gap park visit may cost more in ‘25: How you can weigh in

Published

8 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

A Delaware Water Gap park visit may cost more in ‘25: How you can weigh in

A fee increase and expansion are proposed for Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and federal park officials want to hear what people think about it.

The National Park Service on Monday opened a 30-day public comment period to solicit public input on several proposed changes to the park’s fee system.

The proposal includes an increase in fee amounts, a two-week extension of the fee season, changes to the annual pass purchases, and the addition of two new fee sites. If approved, the changes would go into effect in April 2025.

The last fee increase was implemented in 2015, and the park service says revenues aren’t stretching as far as they once did. For starters, visitation to the park has increased 26% since 2019, the park service says. And due to inflation and rising costs, the $10 amenity fee currently charged at the park now purchases nearly 33% less than it did in 2015 when the fee was increased from $7 — it now takes over $13 to buy the same goods and services.

“Over the past several years, the park’s budget has remained relatively flat while costs and visitation have both increased, facilities and equipment have aged, and the need for routine maintenance has grown,” Superintendent Doyle Sapp said in a news release on the proposal.

“It is essential that we seek additional revenue sources to help us fill the funding gap so that we can continue to offer outstanding recreational opportunities and visitor experiences while protecting the park’s natural and cultural resources in perpetuity,” he continued.

The park service is authorized to collect and retain revenue under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, provided the money is used to enhance visitor experiences. More information on the act can be found at nps.gov.

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area does not charge entrance fees to visit the park. Amenity fees are charged for specific areas used for swimming, picnicking and launching boats.

Over the past three years, revenue from Delaware Water Gap’s amenity fees has been used for restroom repairs and upgrades throughout the park, river campsite improvements, multiple trail projects including rehabilitation, stabilization and resurfacing of the McDade Recreational Trail, and work at George W. Childs Park. Revenue also has been used to pay for seasonal maintenance, fee collection and public safety staff.

“What you pay here, stays here, in this park, where it is used for repair, maintenance, and facility enhancements directly related to visitor enjoyment, access, health, and safety and for seasonal staff that serve park visitors and improve their experiences,” Elizabeth Winslow, the park’s fee program manager, states in the release.

The National Park Service is seeking public comment on the proposed changes that include:

Increasing amenity fees from $10 per vehicle per day to $20 per vehicle per day at the sites that charge amenity fees and extending the fee season by approximately two weeks to Nov. 1.
Increasing the cost of an annual pass from $45 to $60 and discontinuing discounts for multiple passes issued to the same household.
Charging amenity fees at two new sites, Kittatinny Point in New Jersey, and Hialeah Picnic Area in Pennsylvania. Day passes for these sites would be available through recreation.gov, the NPS online reservation system, or in person by using a drop box and fee envelope like those used at other unstaffed fee sites in the park.

If approved, increased revenue from the proposed fee changes would allow the park to hire additional seasonal employees, including custodians, trail workers, interpretive park rangers and visitor center staff, and public safety staff to help meet the public’s needs and ensure outstanding visitor experiences, according to the release.

Additionally, over the next five years the park plans to invest around $800,000 of fee revenue on hiking trail improvements and vegetation management, including on popular trails such as the Toms Creek Trail, Cliff Park Trails, and Hornbecks Creek Trail in Pennsylvania, and the Van Campens Glen Trail, Military Road Trail, and Rattlesnake Swamp Trail in New Jersey. Improvements to the facilities at Milford Beach also are planned.

To comment on the proposal, go to parkplanning.nps.gov/DEWAFees25 and click on “Comment Now” or mail your written comment to Superintendent Doyle Sapp, Attention: Fee Change Proposal, 1978 River Road, Bushkill, PA 18324. The 30-day comment period is open until midnight on Jan. 14, 2025.

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is a nearly 70,000-acre unit of the national park system, located in Pike, Monroe and Northampton counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Sussex counties in New Jersey.

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Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.

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Delaware

Man injured after car slams into truck in Bear, Delaware

Published

15 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Man injured after car slams into truck in Bear, Delaware – CBS Philadelphia

Watch CBS News

We are learning new details about a crash that left a man seriously injured in Bear, Delaware.
A man was driving a car that slammed into the back of a truck on Summit Bridge Road near Brennan Boulevard Thursday night.
The investigation revealed the truck was stopped at the traffic light but for reasons still unknown the car did not stop.

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Delaware

It’s not much, but Delaware has first measurable snowfall. Dangerously cold air moves in

Published

23 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

It’s not much, but Delaware has first measurable snowfall. Dangerously cold air moves in

Saturday is the winter solstice, and parts of Delaware have already had a small, but still measurable, amount of snowfall.

For the first time since Feb. 17, 2024, measurable snowfall was reported in Delaware to the National Weather Service. Community reports of 0.1 inches of snow outside of Newark and in Smyrna are on the board after a storm brought rain and snow to the First State. That is the smallest amount of snowfall that can be recorded.

Wilmington last received measurable snowfall on that February date, but received only a trace Friday night. Parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey saw more than 5 inches from the same system.

Winter starts with cold snap

The storm ushered in dangerously cold air that will grip the Northeast for the weekend.

The temperatures are not so extreme that advisories will be issued, but it is not a good idea to stay outside for very long, said National Weather Service meteorologist Amanda Lee in Mount Holly, New Jersey.

On the night of Dec. 21, temperatures will dip, according to the weather service: