?? >> good morning and welcome to "long island viewpoint." i'm ken rosato. today, we have with us the summer program for kids, which is a very special camp for children with behavioral disorders, and it's run by the children, families and the law at hofstra university. but, first, long island is having a huge problem with opiate addiction. outreach is a nonprofit organization that helps people dealing with substance use and behavioral-health disorders. well, for one family, this epidemic of drug addiction became a brutal reality when 25-year-old john brower jr. died of a drug overdose in the year 2015. joining us in the studio are family members of john brower jr. -- his dad, john brower sr., his sister,

with us john venza, who's the vice president of adolescent services at outreach. john, let me start with you. tell us the story about your son. >> well, john was in a very bad car accident a few years before he passed away, and he was given prescription opiates -- a copious amount of prescription opiates -- and he was given them for 10 months. in the accident, he broke his leg, shattered his ankle, had, i think, seven different surgeries, and he became getting prescriptions and just filling them and filling them. he came to us. he went to rehab. he would -- ah, sorry. he got out of rehab. he was doing real well. john was almost a 4.0 student in college, got a big job with a big accounting firm right out of college, was doing very well, and he got addicted to the opiates, came to us, wanted to go to rehab. we sent him to rehab down in florida. he was sober 59 days.

he passed away. >> oh. this story -- you hear more and more and more. there was just a father recently who talked about his son. we had the story on the air on our newscast, talking about his son, who had never touched drugs, didn't even do pot. decided one day, with friends, to start "experimenting" with heroin -- something that, 30 years ago, we would never have heard of. and within 28 days, the young man was dead because of the addiction. parents didn't even know that this was happening, and he was dead. it is a tragedy, and i'm so glad the foundation that you started now. >> so, after john passed away, we decided we wanted to do something to help people that face the same issue that john did. and so we started a foundation where we raise money. and we paired with outreach and we raise money and give it to different places that help people who have the same addiction. and outreach was so appealing

john had a little bit more time in, like, a rehab facility, that it would have maybe helped him overcome, so... >> and, john venza, outreach. what is the difference between short term and long term, as kristen was talking about, and the effectiveness of either? >> you know, long-term treatment gives you the opportunity to reconstruct everything, from the decision-making skills, the values, the family system. for most of the kids, the substance-abuse problem didn't it happened over a course of time. and you need just as much time to correct that. unfortunately right now, everything is driving down the length of stay. insurance companies driving length of stay, but they're not the clinicians. we know that the proper way for addiction to be treated is over the long term, in a safe, drug-free environment. >> john brower, how has this impacted your family? >> well, when john passed away, the first thing myself and my

nobody should have to go through what we went through. you shouldn't have to bury your child. so, as a family, we decided we were gonna make a difference, start our own foundation, and find somebody who's gonna help get rid of this problem or deal with the problem. and we were so appealed with outreach because john was kicked out of rehab after 28 days, 'cause that's all your insurance will pay. and we know 28 days is not enough. and when we heard about outreach's program that's more long term -- maybe john would still be here today if there was a progra and so that's why we've teamed with outreach -- to try and prevent people from losing family members and friends. >> and going back to john venza, then, about that. what needs to be done, legislatively, or to force insurance companies into extending the stay for rehab? >> yeah, i really think folks need to take a giant step back and look at, really, what good treatment is and, really, a beginning, a middle, and an end, you know, phases of treatment

that are a week, 14 days, or whatever the insurance company will approve don't have a phase-specific program. how can you run a program based on number of days that are approved? you need a program that actually has, you know, specific criteria. and then, i think that's what we're willing to do is fund the longer-term programs. there is no quick fix. and it's really short-sighted, because when you look at it, 3, 4, and 5 stays in and out of short-term programs equals probably more than you'd pay for one good long-term program. >> kristen, how about your and substances now that this has impacted your family this way? if you hear friends ever talking about drug use or drugs, what is your reaction now? >> i think i'm probably a little more sensitive to where i felt as though before this that, you know, the stereotypical people who use drugs, but now it's a little more, like -- it is a disease. it is something that you really cannot control. so, i mean... >> and i think that's part of the problem, right? there's a lot of times people are afraid to seek help because

jobs, alienating friends and family. they keep it quiet, when they should be screaming for help. >> yes. >> and he did scream for help, and the sad thing is -- only this much help could be given because of insurance. that's just -- that's ridiculous. it just is ridiculous. so, we're hoping -- i know we have legislators who watch this show, as well. maybe they wake up and realize, "yes, it's not cheap, but how much is a human life worth?" is the question you have to ask. >> absolutely. i think doctors have to be more drugs. i don't think they're -- i think they give away too many prescription drugs. john should not have gotten drugs for 10 months. 10 months of prescription opioids, you've got to be hooked. it turns into a brain disease. and now heroin -- the drugs on the street are so expensive, and heroin is cheap. so it's pushing more of these people to use heroin, and they're dying. and that's what we're trying to prevent. >> john, what can families do, first of all, to know the warning signs of a child who

any substance, specifically heroin in this case? and what can they do to intervene beforehand to prevent this from becoming an issue? >> yeah, i don't think parents can speak to kids early enough, soon enough. i mean, some of the prevention efforts need to begin as early as third grade, really when kids are old enough to understand it, 'cause they're being exposed to this stuff through the internet, through everything else. parents need to look for dramatic shifts in behaviors -- you know, disappearing at odd hours of the night, you know, changes weight loss. i mean, there are some very specific things. all of a sudden, the old friends stop coming around. new people who they don't bring by the house. i mean, unfortunately, things shift with the addiction as it progresses. so, really kind of the -- you know, your kid does not appear to be your kid anymore. and parents are very intuitive, and they have to trust their intuitive side. when they see something that's changing and now that we know that addiction is rolling up everybody's driveway, they need

organizations like outreach exist. and we thank you for coming today. john and kristen, i'm so sorry for your loss, and thank you for sharing the tragic story with us. and best of luck with the foundation, as well. again, john venza, outreach, all the best to you and all the folks, all your clients. may they be healthy very soon. we're gonna come right back with the nyu summer program for kids with behavior disorders.

>> welcome back to "long island viewpoint." i'm ken rosato. the summer program for kids, also known as spk, is a program at nyu langone's child study center. it is the only evidence-based summer program in the new york metropolitan area that treats children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, adhd, and behavior disorders, as well. joining us, from the nyu langone

and dr. yamalis diaz, who is a psychologist. thanks for being here, doctors both. >> thank you for having us. >> it's good to have two psychologists on the set. i wish you were with me all the time. [ both laugh ] let me ask you, first, what the history is of this summer program for kids. >> yeah, so, the summer program for kids started about 18 years ago. it was adapted from dr. bill pelham's summer treatment manual, which was a behavioral component in a large-scale study on children with adhd. not "we." the director of the child study center at the time decided it would be a great service to offer it to the community. >> and what is the difference between this summer program or camp, if you will, versus other camps for kids? >> well, actually, one of the biggest differences is that we really focus on having kids who have adhd sort of modify their behavior over the course of the summer and to really learn skills and use behavior-modification techniques that are going to really focus on the difficulties that they

moment, but actually to change that behavior over time. >> is adhd a growing problem? do we have more cases or is it just more being diagnosed now? and what are the treatment options? >> yeah. so, i'm not sure if it's a growing problem. i think we are just better at treating it and understanding it. and there are a variety of options. there is behavioral treatment, intensive behavioral treatment, parent-management techniques, as well as medication. there are some alternative research-based, so we tend to use the ones that have been proven to be effective, our research. >> so, give us an example of what the typical day would be. i know no day is typical, probably, but give me an example of a day at the program. >> yeah. well, first, let me just say you have not lived until you've been at summer camp with 55 children who all have adhd and bring their exuberance and their energy and, you know, their positivity to camp. but the typical day definitely has a lot of fun -- within

behavioral concerns really do best when they are in a structured environment. so, the day is the same for each group. they go through a series of activities. they go swimming. they play sports. they have recess. they go into the classroom for some time. they have art, computers. they really get to do everything that any other child at summer camp is doing. the difference is that we're also focusing on their behavior. >> okay, so, what would one typically do to help get them -- and, by the way, for people who don't understand, the attention deficit disorder we're talking about, right? >> yes. >> so keeping a child focused, et cetera. so, what would you do, normally, to hone them in and get them focused? and, by the way, let me ask you this -- is that something that gets cured at some point in life, as well? >> mm-hmm. so, adhd, over time -- we like to think of it in thirds, that there are some children, a third of the children, who may even grow out of it, there are a third of the children whose

the symptoms, but they're able to manage. in terms of what we do to help the kids -- so, we understand the kids with adhd have impulse-control problems. they have difficulties paying attention, staying focused, and making friends. so it's very skills-oriented. we use a lot of behavioral techniques. the main thrust of the program is an intensive point system, where kids can earn points or lose points, depending on how they behave. but it's all done in the context of a very supportive and you know, we train the counselors to really understand these children and look beyond the behavior. so, there's the point system. there are other behavioral techniques that emphasize their strengths and bring about the best in the kids. >> now, in mentioning, before, the different treatment techniques, you talked about behavioral modification. you talked about prescriptions, as well. >> yeah. >> do you have a little of all? some kids on prescriptions, some kids not? >> yeah, that is exactly true. we have parents who are --

tried medication and would like to opt for intensive behavioral treatment first. and that's great and that's sort of the new thinking these days, that it could be more effective by trying behavioral treatment first before meds. there are some parents whose kids have been on meds, and they ask me if they can be off meds for the summer and just have a medication holiday, which we're fine to have, because we're proponents of meds, but kids do not have to be on meds unless they really need the medication. and then there are some parents who feel tha children are on need some adjustment. they're less likely to do it during the school year because they don't want to rock the boat. but we give the parents the opportunity to make some changes, and because we're really knowledgeable about medication and what to look for, we can give really good feedback to the outside professionals. >> well, dr. diaz, you know, you have -- i guess maybe decades ago, the tragedy was -- a lot of kids who maybe had adhd, and we don't have the diagnosis. you just hear, "oh, he's just a bad kid."

now we know it's treatable. it's an illness, if you will, just like any other illness, a virus. so it can be treated. >> yes. >> so, sadly, i mean, we've probably lost god knows what number of kids because we didn't treat them. >> right. >> so, let me ask you, you know, what more can be done? what should a parent be looking out for? and how early should they look to intervene? >> i really think -- i mean, i'm glad that you said that, and i think it's really important to things i always try to emphasize is that children with adhd are really, really misunderstood, and i think what ends up happening in school settings and even with parents is that they will label it as negative or bad behavior, when, in fact, the child is actually struggling and having trouble. and i like to make that distinction. but parents should be looking for -- particularly, usually where we first see it is at school, right? the child is having trouble finishing their work. they're getting out of their seat a lot. they're being reprimanded quite a bit. they're being sent to the principal. those kinds of things may be related to an attention problem

stay engaged. and so we want to find positive ways to have them show their strengths and also deal with some of the challenges that they have, right? >> what about funding for the program right now? is it all direct pay? is it insurance? is it state-funded? >> so, it's mostly direct pay, but parents have been able to get some reimbursement from their insurance companies, because it is a therapeutic program. and every year, we are fortunate to get some scholarship money, but we never know. of donors to allow kids, who otherwise couldn't afford it, to attend. >> what would you hope to see for the future of the program? and what message would you like to get out there to parents right now who may be watching, wondering if their child may have adhd? >> well, you know, this takes me back to the first question that you asked, and that's, you know, what's different about our program? and i think one of the things that is important to highlight is that we really see these kids for being positive and joyful, and they have so many strengths that i think, in other settings,

refocusing and reprimanding. so i want parents to really understand that this is a great therapeutic experience for their children, but we also want them to have a really positive summer, whereas in other camps, they might have been, you know, unfortunately, "that kid" who's having a lot of trouble. we don't want them to be in that position. we want them to have a good time. >> dr. karen fleiss, dr. yamalis diaz, thank you so much for being on today. great advice. and all the best with the program. that's terrific. and for information on all the organizations featured on "vie part of this show and you want to see it at your leisure, just visit us at abc7ny/viewpoint. we're coming right back with the center for children, families and the law at hofstra university.

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the award-winning geico app. download it today. >> welcome back to "long island viewpoint." i'm ken rosato. in 2001, hofstra university

also known as ccfl. this was in response to the urgent need for more effective representation for children and families who are in crisis. with us today, from hofstra university, are gail prudenti, the new executive director of ccfl, and eric lane, who's the dean of the maurice deane school of law. nice to have you both with us. >> thanks for having us. >> so, tell us what the need was that presented itself, if you will, to require this be set up. >> well, from my point of view, system and looking for my next challenge, it was clear to me that there are so many families in crisis who come to the courts at some of the most difficult times in their lives that the center for children, families and the law at hofstra was doing new, different, exciting, innovative things that could help families and could add to and hopefully make it a more bearable experience. >> so, by "bearable," give me an example, for instance.

now they have someplace to turn? >> oh, families will come to us or they'll call us and they'll say that they don't want to go to the court system, their best interest is in their children, and they want to get this resolved. and what we do is -- an interdisciplinary with the psychologist from our school of psychiatry and psychology. also, if we need someone from the business school and also, of course, our lawyers-in-train to train our lawyers that you can serve the public good and still meet your professional goals. and we help children, if they need help, psychologically. we help families if they need help with regard to debt reconstruction or foreclosure. and then we try to get them to enter into an agreement through mediation. so keep them out of the court system and hopefully take a very difficult situation and make it a lot easier.

so, i mean, how long did it take to develop this concept? >> it's taken -- what year did we start it? 2001? it's taken till -- we've been working on it steadily. gail's been able to really help us realize the vision that we've had, for a couple of years, about making a difference in this kind of problem where these children are sort of bashed about from one parent to another parent. no one's paying a lot of attention to their needs. and, so, we're trying to the center work more from a mediating model, where all of the various problems that come up are resolved. so it's cross-discipline. it's not just lawyers. psychologists, it's the business school, and it's all an aspect of what law schools and other schools could do, doing the processes involving students in every one of those schools. so business-school students, you

supervision, to try to resolve a problem. >> that was my next question, what you just tapped on. my question really here is -- is this something unique to hofstra university and long island or are there other places around the country doing similar things? >> that's a great question. and, really, our model was based on -- i had made a trip out to denver, and the university of denver had a model where they had tried the divorces very successful. and it's interesting -- the executive director of that model was also a former judge. >> there you go. >> rebecca kourlis. and she did a great job. and then what they did, after a number of years -- it spun off into a separate entity 'cause it worked so well. and, so, now the university will try other programs to see if they can be of help and assistance to families in crisis. and this program now will exist as a not-for-profit. >> amazing. >> and, so, it really is

little bit unique is the idea that we have that law schools have two missions. one is to train students to be the next generation's lawyers and good and ethical lawyers. but the other mission of a law school is to sort of look at the system itself through centers, through research, through scholarship -- systems of law -- to see if they can be improved. so this is a process where not only are we doing what we described, but we're doing research about what we're new york or nationally. you know, so it's both hands-on, helping community, but it's also a little bit stepping back to see if the system really works as an improvement to the legal system throughout the country. >> so, you're talking about less clogging of the courts. you're talking about less trauma to the family, because i can imagine a court case, a nasty, divorce could just go on and on, and you're in a different setting. mediation is a much more intimate setting. >> it's a much more -- we do

family at a time, one appointment at a time, dealing with one -- focusing on one family's issues at a time. and i can tell you, as a former chief administrative judge of the state of new york, that the courts are overwhelmed with these type of cases. and i think our new chief judge janet difiore would agree with me -- there's always a better way to do things. >> janet's an old friend of mine, by the way. >> yeah, she's great. she's absolutely great. >> what would you recommend, then, to, say, someone who is right now, who may be in the process of going through a divorce? should they seek mediation through some other means or should they go through the traditional -- i know you handle your area, but what should they do? should they seek an alternate means, if you will? >> you know, my feeling is that certain people are really and certain families are exactly right for going through the process of mediation. and they can find mediators, whether it's through

medical doctors. and those families are usually the families that put their children first, put the very best interests of their children first. so, i would recommend to them that they seek out additional help. >> and my recommendation would be that they think of their children first when they go through this process and not forget them. and, so, our process is intended to force them to think about these children first and not to forget the children and let the children become so o battle-scarred veterans of a horrible divorce for which they have no responsibility. >> yeah, sadly, too often, parents use the children as weapons against one another -- something they shouldn't do. i can't thank you enough, gail and eric, for being here. and all the best. this sounds like a brilliant concept, a brilliant program. >> thank you so much. >> thank you so much. appreciate it. >> thank you. >> thanks for the opportunity. >> absolutely. i'm ken rosato, and we thank you again for joining us. please enjoy the rest of your

this is your moment, this is your time. i believe in you. congratulations bro on a job well done. i'm so proud of you. you are amazing. ?

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