Carol Rostucher fills gap in city’s drug treatment system, fights for reform

Carol Rostucher of Angels in Motion came to speak with our class about the work she does in Kensington, her experience with various treatment centers in the city and her plans to open a safe injection site, or comprehensive user engagement site (CUES).

Carol is a great source for all things addiction and recovery in the city. It was interesting to see how she has formed relationships with all people connected to addiction in the city, from those who use drugs to drug dealers to law enforcement.

She also spoke about issues she sees in the city’s drug treatment system, and how she has learned to navigate the addiction and recovery world despite these hurdles. She said people need I.D. to enter treatment, despite city leaders saying that’s not the case. This requirement presents barriers for some people who do not have an I.D. Angels in Motion combats this problem by helping people get I.D.s and find treatment centers that cater to their needs.

Carol also spoke about the importance of treating people as individuals and recognizing that people respond to different avenues of treatment. She said she isn’t a proponent of “tough love” and said often those who are struggling with addiction often just need someone to listen to them.

Jenny Roberts

Jenny Roberts is a senior journalism and political science double major at Temple University. She works as the Supervising Editor at her university's editorially independent student newspaper, The Temple News. In the past, she has interned at the Reading Eagle, a newspaper in Berks County, and the online publication Talk Media News, for which she covered the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Some of her favorite topics to report on include politics, education, art and culture. She is also interested in social justice issues and the U.S. criminal justice system. Jenny currently interns at the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, a nonprofit that works to exonerate those convicted and incarcerated for crimes they did not commit. She also is a student leader for Temple's chapter of The Petey Greene Program, which places volunteer tutors in GED programs at correctional facilities. When she isn't reporting on what's going on in the world, she's spending her free time trying to change it for the better. Through Covering Addiction, she hopes to blend these two interests. Contact Jenny at [email protected].