Dios, drogas, dinero: ¿quién gana con el traslado de adictos de Puerto Rico a EE.UU.?

Author

Claudia E. Irizarry Aponte, Craig Newmark Graduate School of JournalismFollow
Eliana Y. Perez, Craig Newmark Graduate School of JournalismFollow

Graduation Date

Winter 12-14-2018

Grading Professor

Fernanda Echavarri

Subject Concentration

Spanish Language

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Abstract

For the last 25 years, evangelical leaders have been shipping off opioid addicts in Puerto Rico to cities in the mainland US, mainly New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia--under the promise they’ll receive state-of-the-art rehabilitation treatment, only to end up in unregulated transitional homes and flophouses where they don’t receive proper medical care or psychotherapy. In turn, many of these unregulated transitional homes, also run by evangelical leaders, may charge Medicaid kickbacks from their “patients.”

While this so-called “air bridge” from Puerto Rico to the U.S. goes back decades, it gained momentum from 2005 to 2014, when evangelical leaders joined forces with several mayors and the Police Department, which created a program called “De Vuelta a la Vida” (“Back to Life,” in English). This program identified men in need of rehabilitation from opioid abuse and drug addiction, who then paid about $200 to be sent to the US to seek treatment; the Police Department provided transportation from the places of worship to the airport. In my reporting since January, I’ve identified at least 5 “centers” in 3 boroughs of New York City that still receive addicts from Puerto Rico, despite the suspension of “De Vuelta a la Vida” pending an investigation in Puerto Rico. Many of the leaders in these centers or homes don’t meet the basic requirements to treat patients, like having an in-house nurse or even a medical degree. Some don’t even know how to administer Narcan (naxolone). Our investigation takes us from Brooklyn, to Philadelphia, to Puerto Rico to see how this system really works.

https://medium.com/@clau.irizarry/dios-drogas-dinero-aa080f05fee2

Recommended Citation

Irizarry Aponte, Claudia E. and Perez, Eliana Y., "Dios, drogas, dinero: ¿quién gana con el traslado de adictos de Puerto Rico a EE.UU.?" (2018). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gj_etds/660