New Book Exposes Corruption in the Addiction Treatment Industry
NORTHEAST HARBOR—On Wednesday, August 6 at 5:30 p.m. the Northeast Harbor Library will host Dr. David Campbell - Chief Medical Correspondent for MSNBC’s Morning Joe - to discuss his new book titled Fighting the Florida Shuffle: The Inside Story of Corruption in the Drug Treatment Industry and How One Community Found the Solution.
Co-authored with former Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, Fighting the Florida Shuffle offers an unflinching look into the dark underbelly of the addiction treatment industry, revealing how profit-driven schemes are preying on vulnerable individuals seeking recovery. With a passionate foreword written by Joe Scarborough, the book dissects the systemic failures that have allowed unscrupulous actors to infiltrate and exploit the multi-billion-dollar drug treatment enterprise.
The book goes beyond the well-documented origins of the opioid epidemic, ignited by the aggressive marketing of OxyContin by Purdue Pharma, to expose a new, equally insidious threat: the corruption within the very industry designed to offer hope. The authors share gripping accounts of victims lured with false promises, including free plane tickets, into substandard outpatient rehab facilities and squalid "sober homes." These individuals, often in desperate need of legitimate care, too frequently end up in ambulances or body bags, leaving behind grieving families.
Drawing on their insider perspectives from law enforcement and medicine, Aronberg and Campbell also provide:
An in-depth analysis of how corporate malfeasance fueled the alarming rise in opioid overdoses.
Practical guidance for families on how to identify and avoid deceptive rehab scams.
The inspiring story of a community that successfully fought back, cleaning up the drug treatment industry and bringing the worst offenders to justice.
"Drug treatment has become a thriving enterprise, but the profit motive has lured predators to exploit the vulnerable who seek help," said Campbell. "As rogue rehab owners line their pockets through insurance fraud, patient brokering and illegal kickbacks, their victims leave behind grieving families and loved ones, who wonder how the insurance coverage thought to be a lifeline led to increased overdose and premature death,” said Aronberg.
Fighting the Florida Shuffle is a critical and timely exposé, serving as an urgent call to action for policymakers, families, and communities to confront the pervasive corruption in the addiction treatment landscape and protect those most in need.
Register at nehlibrary.org/events or by calling 207-276-3333.