Question: Is there a state person or center or phone number we could contact in terms of getting drug rehabilitation for someone? Is there any state agency we can call to help us sort through this? It’s a difficult time, and there seem to be so many things to decide.
Answer: Yes, check with the state Department of Health’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division. Its website, 808ne.ws/listrehab, lists substance-abuse treatment options on all islands, for adults and adolescents. The information listed includes the name, location and phone number of each treatment program funded by the division, plus a brief description of the services offered at each. Call the division at 692-7522 for help sorting through the various options, which include residential and community-based programs for distinct types of problems.
“We take these type of calls often and work to provide details for the public so they can access the most appropriate treatment option for them,” said Edward Mersereau, the division’s chief.
After speaking to a division staffer, you might feel more comfortable calling a treatment agency directly for more detailed information.
Another option is to call 211, the confidential referral line run by Aloha United Way; you can also check online at auw211.org. The site has numerous references to substance-abuse treatment programs in Hawaii.
Q: How many private guards on Oahu can carry guns?
A: “At this time, just over 100 private security personnel are authorized by HPD to carry firearms while on duty and in uniform,” said Michelle Yu, a spokeswoman for the Honolulu Police Department.
As noted in Thursday’s Kokua Line (808ne.ws/127kline), private detectives and guards may not carry weapons unless “specifically authorized in writing” by the appropriate state agency or chief of police in the county where they work.
Q: When will they finish the work at Diamond Head?
A: It’s done. The summit trail at Diamond Head State Monument was back to its regular hours as of Friday, following the completion of rockfall mitigation work. It’s open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Access had been disrupted since September so that crews could remove rockfall hazards along the popular trail, which offers a 360-degree view at the summit.
Auwe
Auwe to a few drivers on the H-1 westbound on Nov. 22 between 2:40 and 3 p.m. Because you started driving in the shoulder lane in the Aiea area, other drivers followed. When the drivers saw cars stopped in the shoulder lane, they had to merge to their left to get out. Then the rubberneckers emerged by the hundreds. All of this contributed to traffic being backed up for miles on the Moanalua Freeway and H-1 well before Radford Drive. Once drivers passed the area where police officers were writing tickets for the violators, the freeway was wide open. — Driver stuck in traffic
E kala mai
My apologies to the drivers behind me as I tried to enter a parking garage in Kakaako on Thursday. For some reason I couldn’t get the parking gate to work, and there was no staff on hand to help. I ended up having to back up, to the understandable unhappiness of the cars behind me. They were waiting in line to enter the structure and instead had to also back up to allow room for me to exit. I got some stink eye but no one honked. For that I am grateful. — Embarrassed driver
Mahalo
On the evening of Dec. 3, a Christmas angel appeared at the Hawaii Yacht Club disguised as Lena, a Karl’s Karolers member, who returned to me the credit card that I had left in the parking machine! — Maddie, an extremely grateful senior
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
