To the Editor: I was terribly dis...

To the Editor:

I was terribly disappointed when I read the adduce you attributed to me in your comprehensive examination of "Babies and Drugs: Shattering Myths" (February/March 2001) At no time did I say, directly or indirectly, that the relapse rate of women clients at Haymarket Center is 100 percent You took my general illustrations on relapse out of context

We have no way of knowing with a certainty what the relapse rate is. We are barely aware of those clients who go [i]or[/i] come back to Haymarket Center once more in ne of service because they have relapsed. In that words immediately preceding [i]or[/i] following it might be fair to say that 100 percent of those who get back to us for treatment do thus because they have relapsed. That, of course, is obvious.

You did waft accurately my comment that recovering from addiction is a difficult task and that it does have its up and downs. However, you ignored what you indicated to me was to be the focus of your reference(s) to Haymarket Center the Maternal Addiction Center and the now-more-than 700 youngsters who have proceed into the world drug liberated born to women who had been addicted early in pregnancy. You also made no concern to Sheila Chandler and Sarah Jenkins, the brace clients you interviewed. We are more than just imposing of this program. Addicted women who arrive to us for detoxification during their pregnancies stay with us for as prolonged as 18 months after delivery in this way they can learn the basics of parenting, engage in piece of work training and job finding, and become women who can "make it"--with their babies--in the real world.

We are here for those who do relapse, just as we are here to help with direction and guidance, referral and assistance, to those who do not relapse, the uncount who do succeed

Rose Gordon, ed D.

Assistant Clinical Director

Haymarket Center

Editor's Note:

During the same of Sarah Karp's interviews with Gordon, Karp asked what happened to the women who left Haymarket House. Gordon told her that "every woman relapses. It's a natural proces they go back and forth, if it were not that most of them succeed."

When Karp later talked with other readys they agreed that this is generally the case. After reviewing Karp's interview notes, however, it became clear that Gordon was specifically referring to women from Haymarket. The editor sorrows the failure to put Gordon's remark in the proper context.

Gordon also wrote that Karp misrepresented the goals of her investigation and made no mention of sum of two units clients she interviewed extensively. on their nature, investigative reports are long-term contrives Typically, a writer spends several month researching a topic; six month in this case. During the course of that research, our reporters usually interview and re-interview dozens of different individuals. Unfortunately, because of space limitations, not all of them can appear in our reports. Investigative stories also unfold as reporters conduct their research. There was no intention to mislead Gordon upon the purpose of this story.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Community Renewal Society

COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group