Bath salts

Paramedic demonstrates the art of saving others
By Meera Jagannathan
November 13, 2012 - 7:10pm
Lon Fricano shares the rush he gets from responding to emergency calls for nearly 50 years.

Lon Fricano, 64, has been shot at twice. He’s been in burning buildings and almost gotten stabbed. He’s been chased by street gangs and attacked with baseball bats. Recently, he fought alongside six firemen, three police officers and two ambulance crews to subdue a person violently high on the drug known as “bath salts."

A self-described “adrenaline junkie,” the veteran paramedic said he loves the rush.

“It’s like being high, really,” he said.

Bath salts expert explains the motivations behind her work
By Meera Jagannathan
September 29, 2012 - 9:49pm
Clinical psychologist Elizabeth Berry shares what makes her tick: spending time with family, helping patients and always learning something new.

Her formal title is Dr. Elizabeth Berry, Ph.D., but she calls herself the "Bath Salts Queen."

Berry, a 60-year-old chemical dependency treatment specialist at Crouse Hospital, changes the lyrics to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” when she sings it to herself. “Whenever I put in ‘Bath Salts Queen,’ it makes me laugh,” she said. This is a lighter moment in Berry’s dedication to educating the community about dangerous drugs.

Toxic Relaxation: Bath salts epidemic sweeps through Central New York
By Stephen Cohen
July 25, 2012 - 3:18pm
Local authorities try to keep up with the rapidly growing popularity of new, highly toxic synthetic drug.

The use of the synthetic neurotoxic drug “bath salts” has reached epidemic proportions in Central New York, according to an addictions expert with over 30 years experience in the field.

“This drug scares me more than any other drug I’ve seen,” said Dr. Elizabeth Berry, a clinical psychologist at Crouse Hospital's Chemical Dependency Treatment Services, in a presentation at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications on July 18. “It’s awfully toxic.”