Posted: 8:00 a.m. Monday, April 20, 2015

Indigent burials up in county’s two largest cities

Health officials blame heroin, economy.

By Lauren Pack

Staff Writer

BUTLER COUNTY — 

    Taxpayers paid nearly $29,000 to bury 58 indigent people in Middletown and Hamilton last year, a combined increase of $5,000 and 10 burials over the previous year, according to health officials in both cities.

    Health commissioners Kay L. Farrar, of Hamilton, and Jackie Phillips, of Middletown, both say the heroin epidemic and the economy have had an impact on indigent burials.

    “There was a time when people had life insurance, and they got it through their job. When the economy went down and people lost their jobs, that changed,” Phillips said. “We are also seeing the age that people die getting lower and lower. The ages of 18 to 40 are what we are seeing for overdose deaths. That is leaving minor children who are not prepared or able to bury the parent.”

    Thirty-eight people received an indigent burial at a cost of $18,253 last year in Middletown, up from 36 and $17,735 in 2013. Phillips said 19 of the burials in 2014 were from people who died from drugs; that number was 10 in 2013. So far this year, there have been 12 indigent burials, three of them drug related.

    In Hamilton last year, there were 20 indigent cremations at a cost of $10,514, nearly double the 12 cremations and $5,603 in 2013. So far this year, there have been 5 indigent cremations in the city.

    Hamilton saw its largest number of indigent cremations in the past five years in 2011 when there were 40 at a total cost of $19,000. Farrar said she could not give a reason for the high number of indigent deaths in 2011.

    “Deaths are unpredictable,” she said.

    Phillips said in the past five years, indigent remains have been cremated rather than traditional burial to keep costs down. The exception is if the deceased is unidentified or a victim of homicide.

    “I would say the costs are about the same now as the early 2000s, even though there were many less indigent deaths, because the cost of burial is much higher,” Phillips said.

    If families are unable to pay for a burial of a loved one, they fill out an application and the im

mediate family is vetted to determine if there is true indigence.

    “Not everyone is approved,” Farrar said, noting she as had family members with financial means apply because for whatever reason they did not want to pay for a burial. “It is reserved for the people who really can’t afford it.”

    Fairfield has had far fewer indigent cremations in the past five years with a total of seven at a cost of $3,500.

   The numbers are also smaller for some of Butler County’s townships. From 2010 to 2015, Liberty Twp. has had two cremations for a total cost of $1,000; West Chester Twp. has had nine cremations for a total cost of $5,550; and Fairfield Twp. had five indigent burials for a total cost of $1,500 from 2009 to 2014.

 

Vet, for once I agree with you 100%. Let's not stop there. When they abuse the emergency department they should have some of their Obama money garnished out of their checks. $10 or $15 per visit deducted from their checks would stop this abuse. Making someone responsible for these people's actions would have a profound effect on their behaviors. Who pays for all of the Narcan administered? Who foots the bill for the EMS runs? Who foots the bill for their hospital stay? I think everyone on this site knows the answer to these questions. I understand the feelings of the families but when does it stop being my problem? When does it stop being your problem? Why should my children inherit the problems of someone else's poor decisions? 

middiemom wrote: Vet, for once I agree with you 100%. Let's not stop there. When they abuse the emergency department they should have some of their Obama money garnished out of their checks. $10 or $15 per visit deducted from their checks would stop this abuse. Making someone responsible for these people's actions would have a profound effect on their behaviors. Who pays for all of the Narcan administered? Who foots the bill for the EMS runs? Who foots the bill for their hospital stay? I think everyone on this site knows the answer to these questions. I understand the feelings of the families but when does it stop being my problem? When does it stop being your problem? Why should my children inherit the problems of someone else's poor decisions?

Glad we are in agreement on something middiemom. The user who has OD'd on heroin pays for the administration of the Narcan, the hospital stay and ambulance ride (or if employed, their insurance company pays). If collecting unemployment or welfare, the user should have the unemployment/welfare check garnished letting companies who pay into the unemployment fund to fight to recover the garnishment. If not insured and no job and are unable to pay, the family (parents) should be held responsible and pay. Not the taxpayer's responsibility to pay for the end result of the overdose.

No sympathy for users who are intentionally unproductive and do not pay into the system and still use the services provided by working people. No fair share participation, fend for yourself.    

I now know why Middletown has such a terrible problem. It's the attitude that "anything that doesn't benefit me shouldn't happen" that is portrayed in this post. Don't dare to ever call yourself a Christian after this display of disgusting self-interest. Your lack of compassion and disgusting view of the poor and those in need show to all that you are neither Christian or civilized. Never in all the time I have lived in Middletown or read the topics on this board have I ever been more ashamed to admit that I lived here. This town will never recover with people like you living here and I pray to God that your eyes will be opened to just how disgusting the attitude portrayed here actually is. I hold out very little hope of that happening because it's obvious you'll never see anything but your own self interest. Done with this town. Good luck; you'll need it!

Tony, I'm sorry you feel that way. As for me, just tired of the freeloaders that have fostered this type of attitude in "we the people" that disgusts you so. You must be the type of person who supports any and all types of social programs that are intended to assist the "less fortunate". Some of these "less fortunates" may be legit. I would guess half are not and are only looking for a handout, not a "handup" with the intention of leaving the taxpayer giveaways at some point in the reasonable future. Don't let your honest emotion for those who appear down and out make a fool of you. Most of these so-called down and out people are laughing at do-gooders and the "easy system to beat" as they abuse it time and time again.

Tony, how do you feel about the people you are defending who are career social program users and abusers? They, and their kids, spend a lifetime living on the back of the working people while they stay at home, watching their big screen TV's, getting their free housing and selling their foodstamps for drugs. These non-productive people are fairly worthless to society aren't they? Aren't the habitual heroin users in the same boat as those described above? If most of us can endure life's problems without using the social programs and using drugs, why can't these people do the same? They have chosen to use heroin because they have a weak personality and can't handle life's issues. Then, after the poor lifestyle choice (OD), they burden the medics, the healthcare system, and the taxpayer who foots the bill with a Narcan bailout. Do they have a right to do that? Ask yourself. Are they worth keeping around or should we let them go after the second or third call for Narcan? Do they really want to live if they stay so close to the edge of dying?

The bleeding heart, "people matter" programs in place only make people reliant on social programs and don't work as most who ask for help only repeat the deed, only to repeat usage of the programs. Don't we make it a little too easy for them to keep making wrong choices in life and then getting bailed out time and time again, never really reaching a permanent solution that will last with the current system in place?

We are all being played by some of these people. We care enough to save them many times when in actuality, they have a date with death in their minds. Why else would they constantly be putting their lives in the path of the Grim Reaper?

TonyB- Thanks for the response. I guess we will agree to disagree on our prospective concerning helping those that need help (your stance) and those who used the heroin for the first time (lifestyle choice) and are now addicted and those who take advantage of those who overly care (liberal thinkers) (my stance).

We could debate this but we are too far apart to meet in the middle.

One more thing pertaining to the use of drugs for pain.......

I have the typical "old people" physical aches and pains. Arthritis, pain from an old sports injury from a torn Achilles tendon.....I take Tylenol and never have thought about a shot of heroin/serious pain killers to escape the pain. I have some mental pain too trying to work a full time job, doing the daily things to keep a household running and taking care of my wife when I get home. I wouldn't wish my life on my worst enemy but not one time have I thought about taking some drugs to escape the reality of how tough it can be at times. I live with it without the crutch that is heroin. I choose not to run from my responsibilities to the people who depend on me by using the druggie escape route. People who have chosen to use heroin could have chosen the same path and not been so weak. I don't wish to help these people.

No real comparison to Jesus with the exception that we should all strive to be like him. Isn't that the real point of Christianity: not to say "I believe" and then go on sinning. Show me where Jesus praised the rich; called the poor and downtrodden "degenerates"? DIDN'T HAPPEN! How do you know "the way I think"? My beliefs didn't turn the wealthiest nation in the world into a third world cestpool. My "favorite social programs" happen to be Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Taking care of the old, sick and poor should be everyone's concern in this country but you'd rather grind them up and use them as road fill! You most definitely need to study economics because money at the top doesn't create jobs; demand creates jobs and poor people who struggle to pay for the essentials of life don't have the money to do that. People at the top pay more takes because they derive more benefits from a capitalist economic system. Taxpayer money is needed for more important things than propping up profitable corporations. How did we achieve such great things in the 1950's with a top tax rate of 91%? Because government had the revenue to create the Interstate Highway System and NASA and many other programs that advanced this country. By all means, let's get people off of welfare by giving them jobs that pay enough to live and not keep them in servitude to the wealthy! Which party is cutting education and turning our schools into something where "achieving" is passing a test instead of teaching critical thinking and promoting a love of learning? Why is ignorance being promoted and intelligence villified? Banning Narcan won't stop the heroin epidemic; heroin has been around a lot longer than Narcan ever has. Why would you want to punish an already impoverished family who has just tragically lost a loved one by making them more impoverished? Shouldn't solving the problem be more important than punishing someone? YOU are tired of paying for it which just points out your Ayn Rand "me, me, me" philosophy. I sincerely hope that you never have the misfortune of suffering hardship or economic setback because you are sorely ill-equipped to handle such an occurence. Go drink your wine but do it at home; lest you wind up in an accident that injures or kills you or someone else.

Vet: I also have those typical "pains" and some not so typical. I've taken the prescription and over the counter remedies to combat them. It is an addiction the same as heroin. Just because it isn't as immediately deadly doesn't mean it doesn't cause lasting harm to you. That's why I no longer take any kind of "pain medication"; it doesn't fix the problem. It only hides the problem for a short period of time while the toxic effects build up in your body. Just because you've never considered taking something doesn't mean others haven't: You should know from experience that not everyone thinks or feels the same as you. I'm truly sorry you don't wish to help "those people". Pray there never comes a day when you need the help and run into a similar attitude.

Viet Vet -

There used to be a very important elderly/handicapped accessibility plus emergency home repair program offered through the City. CDBG funds were used to leverage other private capital to undertake these endeavors that helped upwards of 100 deserving residents annually.

Now, thanks to the visionary(?) efforts of The Dougmeister and his underling The Fookster, the emphasis of the past number of years has been to randomly and recklessly dismantle neighborhoods via massive residential property demolition. I know of your dear wife's circumstances and it's too bad that your family couldn't have been given a helping hand like the days prior to 2009.

TonyB:

"Banning something that saves lives makes absolutely no sense"

But do they want their lives saved if they keep using, living on the edge of death and being bailed out by Narcan?

Saving a life that doesn't care if it is saved makes no sense either IMO.

Where do we draw the line and stop helping them Tony? This endless cycle of using and bailing out can't go on forever.

TonyB: "The idea that these people are somehow "weak" after they have been beaten down by a system that threw them overboard because it was profitable for business to lower wages and standard of living is callous. Most of them would be happy for a job that paid a living wage and provided the opportunities that "America" was supposed to stand for"