Rehabilitation

The rehabilitation of the Old Towson Jail into an office building was honored by the Maryland Historical Trust last week as part of the organization's 2012 Maryland Preservation Awards The rehabilitation of the historic jail, now known as Bosley Hall, was cited as, "an outstanding example of a public/private partnership undertaken by the Baltimore County government. " The trust gave the project its award under Preservation Partnerships, and noted the collaboration of Baltimore County government; developer Towson Jail Associates, which was created for the rehabilitation project; Azola & Associates Inc.; and others for the project.

Three endangered sea turtles that spent the winter in Baltimore departed Saturday evening, joining a caravan of at least 43 others bound for Florida's warm waters and a return to their natural habitat. The three turtles — Chet, Biff and Two-Bit — were among more than 200 sea turtles to wash ashore on Massachusetts beaches, critically ill with hypothermia, last November and December. When The New England Aquarium's sea turtle hospital reached capacity, rescuers reached out to other facilities up and down the East Coast to find foster homes.

EDWARD T. NORRIS, former Maryland state police superintendent and former Baltimore City police commissioner, was convicted last year of stealing public funds and of filing false tax returns. He was sentenced to and has recently completed serving six months in a federal prison and has returned to Baltimore to begin a court-ordered 500 hours of community service. Mr. Norris' community service obligation is being made a mockery as he has been elevated to the status of a local "personality" by a Baltimore radio station, intent on capitalizing on his notoriety.

Many people think of nursing homes as places to go to die. But here in Maryland, skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers are in fact places people go to live. They are a big part of the solution to the state's health care challenges, providing quality and cost-effective transitional, rehab, long-term and high-acuity care to those in need. With the impending implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Maryland, we have an opportunity to identify and pilot ways in which Maryland's skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers can be essential to providing expanded care to people and families in need and deploying center‐based resources into the community for public health challenges.

Integrated Health Services Inc. said yesterday it has purchased a private Minnesota rehabilitation company and would use it to expand rehabilitation services in its own chain of nursing homes.The Owings Mills company bought Achievement Rehabilitation Inc. of Minnetonka, Minn., for $22.5 million in Integrated Health Services stock, said Marc Levin, senior vice president. He said Achievement Rehabilitation's owners and managers will run a new division that will manage Integrated Health's rehabilitation business.

Elizabeth Hickman Anderson, a retired psychiatric hospital rehabilitation director and Morgan State University benefactor, died May 24 of heart failure at her Cross Keys home. She was 88. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Elizabeth Hickman Williams earned her bachelor's degree from Hunter College in 1942. For many years until retiring and moving to Baltimore in the early 1970s, Mrs. Anderson had been the director of rehabilitation at Creedmore Psychiatric Center in Queens, N.Y. She had also been president of the National Rehabilitation Association in Washington.

WHEN Congress reconvenes on Jan. 25, it has a chance to do something meaningful about violent crime.The crime bill the Senate passed before the holiday recess is a start; it would provide $22.3 billion over five years for a broad range of anticrime activities, including building new prisons and hiring more police officers.Something else needs to be part of any serious approach to crime, but hardly anyone is willing to advocate it because it is unpopular to appear concerned about convicts.

Thomas Eugene Fowlkes, who as a RETURN program coordinator at Sinai Hospital worked tirelessly to help people with brain injuries regain their independence and ability to work, died May 12 of AIDS at his Jessup residence. He was 40.Mr. Fowlkes joined the staff of RETURN, which was established at the Northwest Baltimore hospital in 1986, in 1990 as a facilitator and created the Community Reentry II program, which prepared patients to return to their homes and jobs."He had an enormous amount of patience and empathy, and could help people manage their grief and get them over the rough spots," said Fran Forstenzer, RETURN program manager.

AFTER reading Marina Sarris' "State is probing Thanos' early release from prison" (Evening Sun, Sept. 19), I realized once again how people are casting a short-sighted view on a very serious problem.John Thanos spent about 25 years in prison, over half of his life, and when he gets released, he is accused of going on a spree of senseless crimes. Like most people, I, too, have a problem with a deranged individual running around committing senseless murders. However, in my mind the question isn't why Thanos wasn't incarcerated a few extra months.

Washington Bullets forward Juwan Howard entered a plea of not guilty in D.C. Superior Court yesterday to the charge of driving under the influence last month, but in doing so also agreed to attend a 26-class alcohol rehabilitation and education program.If Howard completes the court-monitored course, the drunk driving charges will be dropped. The case was continued, with another hearing scheduled for Feb. 24 and, according to D.C. Corporation counsel Charles Ruff, Howard has until that date to complete the course unless he asks for an extension.

On July 27, nominated members of Bel Air Health and Rehabilitation Center were honored at a recognition luncheon at Turf Valley Conference Center by HFAM.

Nearly 70 elderly patients and vulnerable adults must find new homes because of the planned closure of Harborside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Baltimore, a sprawling facility with numerous fire hazards uncovered in a recent state inspection. The nursing home - the first in Maryland to accept AIDS patients in 1985 - will shut down within the next month after Medicaid and Medicare stop paying for patient care. The federal health care programs decided to cut off funding after a March inspection by the state found more than 30 safety violations, primarily due to structural problems.

BWI has received a $12 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help pay for the repaving of its longest runway, members of Maryland's congressional delegation announced Wednesday. Work on Runway 10-28, the 10,502-foot asphalt strip that extends east to west, will begin in late August and is set to be completed before the Thanksgiving travel rush. The runway repaving is expected to cost $40.3 million and support more than 500 jobs. "This is a big project and those federal dollars are really important.

The young boys involved in the shooting death of Monae Turnage, whose body they hid under trash bags in an East Baltimore alley, were sentenced in juvenile court Wednesday. The 13-year-old who said he pulled the trigger will be committed indefinitely to a treatment facility; the 12-year-old who helped him move the body will be monitored by the Department of Juvenile Services while living with a relative in Harford County. But the family of Monae — the bubbly 13-year-old who wanted to be a pediatrician — sat outside the downtown Juvenile Justice Center after the hearing, stunned at the outcome.

The rehabilitation of the Old Towson Jail into an office building was honored by the Maryland Historical Trust last week as part of the organization's 2012 Maryland Preservation Awards The rehabilitation of the historic jail, now known as Bosley Hall, was cited as, "an outstanding example of a public/private partnership undertaken by the Baltimore County government. " The trust gave the project its award under Preservation Partnerships, and noted the collaboration of Baltimore County government; developer Towson Jail Associates, which was created for the rehabilitation project; Azola & Associates Inc.; and others for the project.

100 Years Ago Lime Green An advertisement in the Times: "Stone lime, oyster shell lime, hydrated lime, ground lime, ground lime stone, rail or water shipments: Robert S. Green, 853 Frederick Ave. Baltimore, Md. " Another ad: "THE NEAL SANATORIUM treats alcoholic cases and drug habitués with better results and in less time than any other institution in existence. For proof and information call The Neal Institute Oakland Ave and York Road 206 Courtland St. Telephone, Tuxedo or St. Paul 2564, Baltimore, MD. " 75 Years Ago Thrown throne In the Times national news section: "Americans in England: Renewed excitement has been aroused in the British isles by the discovery that yet another member of the royal family - this time it's the young duke of Kent - not only shows a regrettable tendency to enjoy himself as any normal natural, healthy youngster might, but, what is even more distressing, has lately been seen in the company of an American woman.

Opherral Persaud gingerly dug plastic pins from a lump of lime-green clay. As the 60-year-old Columbia resident discovered each new pin, she strengthened her fingers and hands.Last October, the great-grandmother of two was hit by a vehicle in Philadelphia that crushed both her ankles and left her with four broken ribs and a blood clot in the base of her brain."I couldn't shampoo my hair, I couldn't get out my own front door," said Ms. Persaud, a lively woman who uses a walker and wheelchair to get around.

PHILADELPHIA -- When Bill Heriegel was hit by an oncoming truck at work last month, he thought he was going to die.His body was twisted by the impact, which left tissues in his back and side permanently damaged. Going back to work was probably the last thing on his mind.But thanks to an innovative work-rehabilitation program that his employer paid for, all Mr. Heriegel thinks about now is getting back to his job."I am looking forward to going back to work on August 19," Mr. Heriegel said proudly as he worked on a rowing machine designed to build upper-body strength at WorkHab, a work-rehabilitation center based in suburban Huntingdon Valley, Pa.Instead of becoming a "couch potato with nothing to do," Mr. Heriegel said, he's been able to build up his strength by doing exercises that simulate his duties as a driver for the Philadelphia General Asphalt & Paving Co. His company is one of a growing number of employers that are electing to place injured employees on work-rehabilitation programs such as WorkHab.

Fort Howard should be a place for military veterans to heal — not the site of new residential and retail development, residents of nearby communities said Tuesday. About 200 people turned out for a community meeting at the North Point-Edgemere Volunteer Fire Hall, and most opposed Fort Howard Development LLC's plans to build a 1,473-unit development on the waterfront site. Many said they wanted the site to be used for a long-term medical facility and housing for veterans only.

In recent years, skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers across the nation have endured billions of dollars in cuts for the care of elder and disabled beneficiaries of Medicare. Here in Maryland, in three of the past five years, payments for the care of Marylanders most in need were cut more than $180 million. Through outstanding public/private partnership, only recently have these cuts been reduced. However, possible additional state cuts loom on the horizon. Now Congress is looking at ways to potentially make additional cuts to Medicare and Medicaid through the Super Committee and by other means.