Thursday, November 30, 2006

Northampton County's human services department is trying to prepare for an
influx of gambling and alcohol addicts a Lehigh Valley casino may create.
During a council budget hearing Tuesday night, county Councilman Ron Angle
said it doesn't matter which Valley proposal is chosen, Northampton County
will be affected. Angle asked if officials have begun assessing costs and
programs. "The drain on human services is definitely going to be there,"
Angle said. "I think you need to get geared up for it." Sands BethWorks
Gaming LLC wants to create a South Bethlehem casino on former Bethlehem
Steel Corp. land and Tropicana Pennsylvania LLC is vying for an East
Allentown casino. Kathleen Kelly, the county's mental health program
administrator, said the county is collecting data and department workers
plan to attend free training seminars sponsored by the companies and run by
the Pennsylvania Council on Compulsive Gambling. The state has promised to
provide funding for the increase in services, but Kelly said she hasn't
received a figure from state officials. Kelly said Northampton County
contracts out for drug and alcohol services, and does not have specialized
services to handle gambling addicts. Officials said residents can use
self-help groups such as Gamblers Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous, but
Human Services Director Ross P. Marcus said the Valley has a limited number
of GA groups. Kelly said the state is also creating a hotline. "I hope we're
not relying on the state hotline to take care of our problems here," Angle
said.