Park named for beloved Chandler principal PAGE
Chandler Museum offers fun activities
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From Uptown to Downtown, covering Chandler like the sun.
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
INSIDE
This Week
NEWS ............................. 17 Chandler crime rate hit new low last year.
COMMUNITY...........24 Chandler artist portrays her family's Holocaust nightmare
SPORTS.......................
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Chandler athlete dedicates game to late father.
NEWS.........................................3
COMMUNITY........................24
BUSINESS...............................29 OPINION................................ 35 SPORTS...................................36 GET OUT................................38
CLASSIFIEDS..........................42
February 9, 2020
FREE | chandlernews.com
Chandler lawmakers push new teen suicide curbs BY JIM WALSH Arizonan Staff Writer
T
he health care insurance system failed 14-year-old Jacob Edward Machovsky miserably in 2015. An insurance company decided his in-patient treatment for a mental illness was not a “medical necessity,’’ ending the second of two hospitalizations within two months. That decision led to tragedy when Jacob, who had turned 15, took his life at his family’s Tempe home in January 2016. His parents, Denise and Ben Denslow – who have since moved to Gilbert – launched the JEM Foundation in Jacob’s memory, setting in motion their mission to save the lives of other
teenagers suffering from mental illness. Now, the Denslows are hoping that the same legislative coalition that a year ago won passage of a landmark suicide prevention bill will help them with the adoption of “Jake’s Law’’– a wide-ranging bill designed to improve access to treatment for troubled juveniles. “We don’t want any other family to go through this. That’s why we are fighting so hard,’’ Denise Denslow said. “We definitely have momentum from last year and we are going to build on that. It’s a huge next step and I am really proud of this bill.’’ Eight Chandler teens are among more than 30 East Valley teens who have taken their lives since March 2017. The law has drawn the back of influential
Chandler members of the State Legislature on both sides of the aisle, including Republican Sen. J.D. Mesnard, Democratic Sen. Sean Bowie and Republican Rep. Jeff Weninger. Jake’s Law would: • expand youth access to behavioral health services in schools at a cost of $8 million; • establish a suicide mortality review team that would start looking into the root causes of a death within a few days after teens take their own life; • create parity in the insurance coverage of medical and mental health conditions. Approval of the parity measure would
see SUICIDE page 8
Chandler coach's wheelchair theft touches community BY KEVIN REAGAN Arizonan Staff Writer
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ommy Hambicki’s wheelchair went on a turbulent journey these last few weeks. It went missing on Jan. 14 – presumably stolen by a thief – and left the 35-year-old coach scrambling to find it. “I had no idea what to do,” recalled Hambicki, who was paralyzed below the waist in a car accident in 2003. A one-time basketball star at Gilbert High School, Hambicki’s life has certainly been filled with highs and lows – but losing his wheelchair felt like a new low. He filed police reports, called pawn shops and surveyed his neighbors – hoping something might lead to him finding his wheelchair. A neighbor’s security camera captured a man taking Hambicki’s wheelchair off his front porch in broad daylight. After watching this footage, Hambicki knew then he
Tommy Hambicki looks at the wheelchair that was stolen and then returned in basically unuseable shape. In the meantime, he got a replacement thanks to the generosity of friends, neighbors and even strangers. (Pablo Robles/Arizonan Staff Photographer)
probably wasn’t getting his chair back and set out to get a replacement.
His chair had been custom-made just for him and buying a new one would cost at least $6,000. Hambicki found out his insurance policy doesn’t cover thefts, requiring him to pay entirely out-of-pocket for a new chair. The news didn’t really surprise Hambicki since his insurance often won’t pay for necessary medical supplies. “I don’t even get coverage for my catheters,” he said. “I have to pay to pee.” The new chair’s big price tag worried Hambicki’s family, so they turned to the community for help. Hambicki coaches youth basketball for Arizona Kings in Chandler and the families of his players started circulating his story. Within 48 hours, the family had accumulated
see WHEELCHAIR page 6