Addict’s Reunion With Her Children

The “Getting It Together” story (Dec. 24), on Karen Bagby’s recovery from drug addiction and reunion with her children was indeed a heartwarming Christmas story of Dickensian proportion. Congratulations to you and best wishes to Ms. Bagby.

The story also told of a large number of other women awaiting admission to this small program, for which the Orange County supervisors have allocated a munificent $400,000. This is just inadequate and is in contrast to the many millions being given to law enforcement.

I urge our supervisors to give more money to drug treatment and to take all the drug money and treasure being confiscated by law enforcement and put it into treatment programs, for men, women and juveniles.

In another story, we learn that the UCI Medical Center has a counselor whose job it was to help people get over the anxiety of flying. This luxury is in contrast to the funding of counselors for drug recovery. Let the timorous traveler see a private shrink, or take Amtrak. The money is clearly needed for higher-priority programs affecting public health and welfare.

PATRICK F. FLYNN

Yorba Linda