Much has been written in this and other outlets about the outcry over removing the sugar maple in Ascutney representing the final legacy of the Tenney Farm. Perhaps we can view this as a time of reflection on what was then an impossible situation that led Romaine Tenney to take his own life.
Many people face their own impossible situations — the deep frustration, despair and hopelessness that might lead to depression, anxiety, substance use and even suicide. Virtually no community, family, business or home is immune, and these problems do not discriminate. Talking about them, and recognizing that they are treatable, helps reduce the social stigma surrounding them, even as it encourages people who need help to seek it out.
Since 1977, West Central Behavioral Health, the local nonprofit community mental health clinic, has worked tirelessly in the Upper Valley and Sullivan County. It has caring clinicians doing oftentimes lifesaving work to help people without regard for their ability to pay.
Based in Lebanon, and with offices in Claremont and Newport, West Central Behavioral Health treated more than 2,200 clients in New Hampshire and Vermont last year. That translates into more than 55,000 client visits, about a quarter of which were with children, a particularly vulnerable group for whom early intervention makes all the difference.
West Central Behavioral Health also maintains an emergency services crisis line with skilled clinicians on duty 24/7, taking more than 5,000 calls annually. The phone number is 800-564-2578, and it’s free.
A powerful tribute to Romaine Tenney would be to learn from his tragic situation and let it guide us to help those in need. Let’s use all our resources (this publication included) to share the news that mental illness and substance use disorders are treatable diseases we must discuss openly so those afflicted will regain their health and live long, satisfying lives. Today, there is help. Let’s use it.
DAVE CELONE
East Thetford
The writer is the director of development and community relations at West Central Behavioral Health.
With his Forum letter “Why such a huge cost difference?” (Oct. 28), Andrew Stewart points to a real problem in our health care system: While ideologues butt heads about how to make the system work, foxes are busy in the henhouse.
I, too, have run into ridiculous costs: For a painful side effect of radiation therapy, my doctor prescribed suppositories containing hydrocortisone (available since 1955 and inexpensive). At CVS, I was told the price for 30 came to more than $300 and that my insurance would not cover the prescription because an over-the-counter version — with a lower dose of hydrocortisone — was available.
However, neither CVS nor four other pharmacies had the cheaper, over-the-counter preparation and said they couldn’t order it. A perfect Catch-22. And — surprise! — it turned out that the cheap version is made by the same company, Perrigo, that produces the expensive type.
The government and health insurers pay only for generic drugs, and candidates pledge to “get Big Pharma.” Meanwhile, the generic producers (“Little Pharma”?) are quietly turning into monopolies. Their business plan is to buy up smaller companies until their firm is the sole manufacturer of some humble item, then raise its price to an outrageous level.
For instance, if you’re acquainted with suppositories, you’ll likely find the company name Perrigo on the wrapper, no matter the brand name on the box. Research Perrigo and you’ll find a record of acquisition of one drug firm after another, with a grand finale of a “tax inversion,” which means buying up an Irish company to “relocate” in order to avoid corporate taxes in the U.S.
Perfectly legal behavior, so far, and not limited to Perrigo.
What’s to be done? U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., has just introduced legislation to remedy this generic drug skulduggery. Visit her office, write or call to support her legislation. Otherwise, the generic fox will go on feasting in the health care henhouse; and he (or she) is hardly the only one doing that.
JACK BARRETT
Lebanon
Among the many letters that appear in the Valley News voicing concerns for the complex challenges we are facing, from the local to the planetary, one in particular continues to resonate with me. Writing with a poetic simplicity, Eugene Cassidy thoughtfully reminded us of our common humanity as we consider the words we use and how we talk to each other. “The history of the world,” he rightly noted, “is words, not weapons.” (“Consider how we talk to each other; it’s important,” Aug. 17).
While Cassidy’s words can inspire us, changing how we communicate is not an easy task as our ways of speaking are the result of lifelong habits. But how we communicate with each other and with people around the world is the key to solving some of our greatest challenges, both now and for the future.
One way to examine more deeply how we communicate with ourselves and others is through learning the principles of Nonviolent Communication. Inspired by the transformative work of leaders such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. and practiced in 65 countries around the world, Nonviolent Communication, known as NVC or “compassionate communication,” offers a simple and pragmatic framework for conflict resolution and a conscious reminder of how we are in the world.
The Dalai Lama, one of the great spiritual teachers and humanitarians of our age, says that each of us is a guest on this beautiful planet for a very brief time. Over our lifetime, we create the world we live in by the words we use and the way we treat each other. Reflect on what this means to our children — they are watching and listening.
STEPHEN SCHULTZ
North Pomfret