By TAMMIE TOLER
PRINCETON — A proposed Mercer County methadone clinic will officially go up for debate Nov. 28 in Charleston.
A spokesperson with the West Virginia Health Care Authority confirmed Wednesday that a second hearing had been set. The administrative hearing, which allows people or businesses affected by a medical facility’s proposal to speak, was originally set for Aug. 24. It was continued when local leaders learned of Treatment Associates’ plan just days before the proceedings and argued they would not have time to effectively mobilize the affected parties.
The June 18 edition of the WVHCA newsletter announced the hearing, and it was advertised in the legal notices section of a Charleston newspaper. But, it was never publicized locally, prompting lawmakers and business entities to seek a delay in the hearing.
The new application to establish a methadone maintenance treatment facility in Mercer County is really a renewal of a letter of intent filed Dec. 9, 2003.
According to a copy of that documentation provided to the Princeton Times, Treatment Associates Inc., requested approval to lease and renovate property in Mercer County. The applicant said it needed approximately 2,000 square feet to establish a methadone clinic with an initial client capacity of 370-390 people.
Treatment Associates Inc., headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif., is a subsidiary of CRC Health Corporation, which also owns and operates methadone maintenance treatment facilities in Beckley, Charleston, Clarksburg, Huntington, Parkersburg, Wheeling and Williamson.
According to the application, “The goal of CRC’s opioid treatment programs is to restore the individual to a healthier, happier and more productive life, free from dependence on illicit chemicals and destructive behavior ... The goal is based on the belief that successful recovery encompasses improvement in self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, positive family interaction, vocational productivity, the establishment of realistic life goals and healthy lifestyle adjustment.”
At its most basic, methadone maintenance treatment uses methadone, a synthetic opioid painkiller, in the place of other opiates people are addicted to.
It’s a long-acting drug that keeps people who are addicted to other opiates from experiencing the illnesses of withdrawal, and it blocks the high those people would get from their drugs of choice. But, it is also extremely addictive and can be deadly when taken in large amounts or when quit without medical guidance.
After taking methadone, MMT patients are do become addicted to the drug, but reportedly without the highs or side-effects of other drugs, such as heroin, oxycodone, hydrocodone and more. Some MMT patients will gradually reduce their doses, under guidance from medical and psychological professionals, eventually coming off the drug completely. Others will remain on the drug forever, paying $12-$14 daily for doses.
Last year, Beckley Treatment Center reported approximately 700 clients.
The Mercer center, which would be called Southern West Virginia Treatment Center, would initially get most of its clients from that facility, according to the application. It would then draw its own clients from McDowell, Mercer, Monroe and Summers counties in West Virginia and Bland, Giles, Pulaski, Radford and Wythe in Virginia.
Several local entities have expressed concern with the idea of a methadone maintenance treatment facility.
The internal medicine doctors at Princeton Community Hospital met recently and spoke out in opposition to the clinic. Dr. Shahid Rana made the announcement Tuesday night during the Princeton Community Hospital Association’s annual Board of Directors meeting, but the hospital as a whole has not yet taken a stand on the issue.
PCH Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations Deb Griffith said the Medical Executive Committee was set to discuss members’ stance in October.
Law enforcement officials have also spoken out, acknowledging that MMT centers do some good, but they also bring new sets of problems.
Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force Sgt. J. Centeno told the Princeton Times recently that his officers are already buying liquid methadone in controlled buys on Mercer County streets. He said MMT centers often either can’t or don’t do enough to keep their clients from abusing the system, and the drugs wind up for sale illegally.
“The people who abuse the system are still selling methadone in the streets,” he said, citing approximately 20 controlled buys of methadone his officers conducted in the last two months.
During last week’s Hope 4 Dope meeting at Planet Xtreme, several community members publicly opposed the center, worrying it would bring more addicts to the area and make illicit drugs more available. Princeton Police Chief W.L. Harman and Mercer County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy D.B. Bailey said a clinic would only add to the area’s drug problem.
Magistrate Jerry Flanagan, however, spoke in favor of the center, citing people he regularly sees in court that drive to Raleigh County for their daily doses of methadone. He said he then sees or hears those people have been injured, or possibly killed, while driving under the influence on the West Virginia Turnpike.
“I’d rather see them closer and keep them alive,” Flanagan said.
Princeton Rescue Squad’s Pete Formato also took issue with the revenue-driven model private methadone clinics operate under.
“There’s no money in the cure,” he said. “The money is in the comeback.”
The administrative hearing on the proposed methadone clinic is set for 9 a.m., Nov. 28, at the HCA office at 100 Dee Dr. in Charleston. Officials there said Wednesday that a portion of the hearing is dedicated to witnesses from the public, and that concerned citizens are allowed to speak during that session.
— Contact Tammie Toler at ttoler@ptonline.net.
