Report proposes attack on pain-pill abuse | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
Report proposes attack on pain-pill abuseLawmakers urge action on the 33 recommendations by a task force that studied the state’s drug problem.By John Richardson jrichardson@mainetoday.comMaineToday Media State House WriterAUGUSTA – Lawmakers from both parties welcomed a report Wednesday calling for more aggressive and coordinated efforts to curb prescription drug abuse in Maine.Rep. Meredith Strang Burgess, R-CumberlandSelect images available for purchase in theMaine Today Photo Store”This issue is so critical to what ails our state,” said Rep. Meredith Strang Burgess, R-Cumberland. “The sooner, better, more efficiently and more effectively we deal with this, the state will be better off all the way around.”The Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee reviewed a list of 33 recommendations presented by a task force of lawmakers, state officials and experts in health care and drug addiction.The recommendations include anti-addiction education campaigns for doctors and the public, improvements in the state’s prescription tracking system, and a requirement that patients show photo IDs when they pick up painkiller prescriptions to ensure that the drugs don’t end up in the wrong hands.Lawmakers set up the task force last year after a decade of efforts failed to contain opiate painkiller abuse in the state. Maine has the nation’s highest rate of residents seeking treatment for pain-pill addiction, and prescription drugs caused nearly 1,400 fatal overdoses statewide in the past decade.Strang Burgess, the committee’s House chair, said lawmakers are constantly dealing with the results of painkiller abuse and addiction, in the form of rising costs to the state and a strain on the health care system.”It’s a huge problem. It needs to be a huge priority,” she said.Rep. Jon Hinck, D-Portland, told the committee the recommended actions will help — if someone makes sure they happen. Hinck authored the legislation that led to the study.There needs to be a person or agency in charge of implementing the changes, Hinck said. “My guess is, without a driver, it will be hard to get them done.”Burgess said the Health and Human Services Committee will work with the administration to try to maintain momentum and follow through on the report.Katrin Teel, senior health policy adviser to Gov. Paul LePage, listened to Wednesday’s presentation of the report and said the administration will review the recommendations.LePage has pledged to support abuse-prevention efforts, although he also has proposed funding cuts that would limit addiction treatment.Attorney General William Schneider has said he and LePage plan to form a standing task force to address the problem.The legislative committee plans to discuss the report in more detail next month and take up several recommendations for changes in state law. One, for example, would allow drug users to summon help for overdose victims without fearing arrest.Strang Burgess and other lawmakers asked the state Office of Substance Abuse to prepare cost estimates for some of the proposals that would require additional spending.Strang Burgess said she’s confident that the state can attack the problem despite Maine’s budget problems. “It’s a prioritization problem. It’s not a money problem.”Committee members approved one of the report’s recommendations on the spot.They voted unanimously to send a letter to Public Safety Commissioner John Morris requesting the appointment of a Drug Disposal Task Force to explore ways to dispose of expired and unused medications. The special waste is now shipped out of state at relatively high cost because of environmental safeguards.MaineToday Media State House Writer John Richardson can be contacted at 620-7016 or at:jrichardson@mainetoday.com
via Report proposes attack on pain-pill abuse | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram.
Journal Tribune: York County’s Only Daily Newspaper > Archives > Editorial > Unfortunately, methadone clinic is needed here
It’s not up to the council to decide whether methadone clinics actually help addicts recover or whether they belong in Sanford. Federal law has already decided that the clinics must be allowed. Councilor Joe Hanslip was right to urge the council in 2008 to focus on the zoning only, leaving personal opinions aside. Does the application adhere to the restrictions of the ordinance they approved in 2008? It appears so, and that should be the end of the matter.
Unfortunately, methadone clinic is needed here
Sanford recently received an application for what would be the first methadone clinic in York County – and the proposal has caused some unease among council members.
Spectrum Health Systems Inc. of Worcester, Mass. has submitted an application for a license to operate an outpatient methadone treatment clinic at 61 Eagle Drive. The clinic would provide this synthetic narcotic, used to treat addiction to heroin and other opiates, and would also offer counseling.
Council Chairman Gordon Paul has said he does not want to see a methadone clinic in town under any circumstances, and we’re sure many residents share that sentiment. Most of us think of these clinics as being more at place in big cities, amidst skyscrapers and subways, than in our bucolic little New England towns.
Drug addiction, however, is not confined to big cities. Maine has the highest rate of prescription drug abuse in the nation, according to a report from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released in January. Since 1998, the report shows, Mainers have been seeking treatment for addiction to non-heroin opiates at a higher rate than those in other states or in the nation. Oxycodone, known by its brand name OxyContin, has become so popular that people are regularly robbing pharmacies throughout York County to get it.
Recently, the use of hallucinogenic “bath salts” in northern Maine has wreaked such havoc that the governor and our U.S. representatives have embarked on a crusade to make them illegal not only in the state, but nationwide. A seminar on these stimulants is slated for next Tuesday in York County as law enforcement officials brace for the epidemic to hit home.
With drug abuse a persistent problem in Maine, it makes sense that treatment options should be available here, too.
According to its application, Spectrum Health Systems Inc. has extensive experience running methadone clinics, with five opiate treatment clinics in Massachusetts along with several other treatment and counseling programs. The company says it does random drug testing and would not dispense medication to anyone under the influence. Rules are in place for distribution and ingestion of the drug, as well as the refill process. With early morning hours for dosing, we doubt this clinic is going to become a hang-out for criminals, and if it does, we trust authorities will take swift action.
Much like the medical marijuana dispensaries that have been approved statewide, there are many, many restrictions in place for these facilities that ensure security and safe operation.
It’s not up to the council to decide whether methadone clinics actually help addicts recover or whether they belong in Sanford. Federal law has already decided that the clinics must be allowed. Councilor Joe Hanslip was right to urge the council in 2008 to focus on the zoning only, leaving personal opinions aside. Does the application adhere to the restrictions of the ordinance they approved in 2008? It appears so, and that should be the end of the matter.
If problems arise with the site, that’s when they can be addressed by requiring more security or other measures, but the business should not be discriminated against from the get-go.
Back in 2008, when Sanford passed its Mental Health and Abuse Centers ordinance to control where these clinics could locate, three town councilors came out in opposition. Councilor Bradford Littlefield had even said at the time that the council should pursue court action to keep a clinic out of town.
Thankfully, the rest of the council has had the good sense not to go down that path, which would have been an expensive, losing battle for the town that would have also painted them unaccepting of an individual’s right to choose how they receive medical treatment.
In an ideal world, drug abuse would be non-existent, but that’s not the world in which we live. That said, we must do all that we can to provide resources for people to recover and move on with their lives. Having this clinic available in a major population center such as Sanford will be a step forward in that process. Right now, the closest methadone treatment centers are many miles away, with the closest located 15 miles away in Somersworth, N.H. The clinics in South Portland, Portland and Westbrook may as well be a world away for those struggling with addiction, particularly considering transportation challenges and expense.
It’s easier to ignore the area’s drug problem and let it fester in the underground while the rest of us go on with our average lives. It’s harder to say, “Yes, I live in a town with a methadone clinic,” and acknowledge that it’s for the best because there are some people who really need the treatment.
Warren to decide whether to settle disability suit over methadone clinic — Maine News — Bangor Daily News
Warren to decide whether to settle disability suit over methadone clinic
Last modified Sept. 07, 2011, at 7:06 a.m.
WARREN, Maine — After spending more than an hour Tuesday night behind closed doors in executive session, the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to let the town’s residents decide if they prefer to settle a federal lawsuit related to a proposed methadone clinic.
But even officials who feel that it is in the best interest of the town to spend a total of $320,000 to settle the suit acknowledged that the move wouldn’t sit well with many in Warren.
“There’s a lot of people in this town who believe in standing for principle,” Selectman Doug Pope said after the meeting. “It’s pretty hard to say that’s a bad thing.”
The lawsuit was filed this spring against the town by California-based drug rehabilitation company CRC Health Group, which argued that Warren violated the Americans With Disabilities Act when it temporarily banned methadone clinics from opening their doors in the community.
A year ago, Bob Emery of Vixen Land Holdings Inc., a Rockland developer, attempted to purchase the unused Brick School from the town, telling municipal officials it would be rented to a business as office space. But when it became clear that CRC Health Group planned to rent the school for a methadone clinic, the town broke off the agreement with Emery.
Residents overwhelmingly voted in December for a temporary moratorium against methadone clinics. They voted in July to adopt land use ordinances which would restrict the development of large business, professional and medical offices or clinics in the community, limiting construction of these to sites on U.S. Route 1 or State Route 90. The ordinances also detail 500-foot setbacks from churches, schools, day care facilities, playgrounds and public parks.
The words “methadone clinic” are not in the final ordinances passed by the towns.
However, in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Portland, CRC Health Group asked the court to find that Warren’s actions are discriminatory because drug addicts are protected under the Americans With Disabilities Act and the municipality won’t allow them to receive treatment within the town’s limits. It also asks the court to order the town to let the company move in and for the town to pay the company’s legal fees.
An opinionated crowd of about 15 waited Tuesday night for the town’s elected officials to open the doors after the executive session.
“People have a lot of questions, but no answers,” one man who declined to give his name said.
“This whole mess is a question,” added a woman he was talking to, who likewise didn’t identify herself.
Selectmen said they hoped residents would find some answers in two documents that they passed around after the brief public portion of the meeting: a copy of an informational letter to Warren residents and the memorandum of understanding that details the proposed settlement between the town, CRC Health Group Inc. and Vixen Land Holdings LLC.
Among other points, the informational letter states that the town’s insurance company has taken the position that it has “very limited obligations” under Warren’s insurance policy.
“The Plaintiffs assert that as a result of their inability to operate the clinic at the Brick School, they have lost close to $900,000,” the letter stated. “The Town denies any wrongdoing. However, any lawsuit brings with it uncertainty …. the Select Board believes that the people of Warren should be entitled to decide whether this settlement is in their collective best interest.”
A settlement would mean that the plaintiffs would agree to drop all claims they could have brought against the town.
No representatives from CRC Health Group or Vixen Land Holdings appeared to be present Tuesday night and efforts to reach them for comment were not successful.
Voters will be asked next week if they will authorize the spending of $180,000 from the town’s fund balance to go to the “full and final settlement.” The remaining $140,000 would be paid by Warren’s insurance company.
According to Pope, when mediation for the settlement was conducted on Aug. 31, he learned that if the lawsuit progresses, the town faces the possibility of years of litigation, expensive attorney fees and the chance that ultimately it would lose the case.
“The question is, do you want to take the chance?” he asked.
He said that he expects there to be a good turnout at the special town meeting held to decide the matter. He encouraged residents to read the informational letter and the memorandum of understanding and to speak with selectmen before making their final decision.
“This issue has energized the townspeople from the very beginning,” he said. “I hope that after serious consideration, they will vote what’s best for the town.”
Selectman Wayne Luce said after the meeting that he believes the plaintiffs’ argument is wrong.
“They’ve taken the Americans With Disabilities Act and broadened it way more than it was ever intended,” he said. “I think a lot of people’s first reaction will be, don’t settle with them. I want to do what’s in the best interest for the town — and that’s a settlement.”
The Warren special town meeting to determine whether to settle the federal lawsuit will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14, at the Warren Community School.
For information, call the town office at 273-2421.
Rockland gives final OK to methadone zone – Stephen Betts – Rockland – Camden – Knox – The Herald Gazette
Rockland gives final OK to methadone zone
By Stephen Betts | Sep 08, 2011
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Rockland — A proposed methadone clinic can move forward following approval Sept. 7 of a zone change to allow the drug treatment center to operate near the Thomaston town line.
The council voted 3-2 (Councilors Elizabeth Dickerson and Larry Pritchett …
A new methadone clinic planned in Sanford addresses a growing problem – Keep Me Current: News
A new methadone clinic planned in Sanford addresses a growing problem – Keep Me Current: News.
A new methadone clinic planned in Sanford addresses a growing problem
Posted: Tuesday, September 27, 2011 2:14 pm
SANFORD – A proposal to open a methadone clinic in Sanford speaks to the growing problem of opiate-related drug addiction in Maine, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services and advocates for improved substance abuse treatment in the state.
“More and more people are showing up in recovery whose primary drug of choice is opiates,” said Deb Dettor, coordinator for the Maine Alliance for Addiction Recovery, a nonprofit substance abuse recovery advocacy group.
Massachusetts-based Spectrum Health Systems has proposed to build and operate a clinic at 61 Eagle Drive, in an industrial complex in Sanford. According to James Q. Gulnac II, director of planning and community development in Sanford, town officials plan to meet with representatives of the company this week, in advance of a full site plan review with the Planning Board.
Methadone is a controlled substance administered in clinics to treat patients suffering from drug addiction, usually involving heroin, prescription painkillers or related opiates.
Statistics from the state Department of Health and Human Services point to the rising problem of opiate addiction in Maine. The department noted a national survey, conducted by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which showed a higher rate of abuse of pain medications in New England than in other parts of the country.
Dr. Peter Delany, who conducted the survey, studied the rate of admission per 100,000 people age 12 and older. He found that the national rate of admission for patients suffering from non-heroin related opiate addictions was about 45 admissions per 100,000. Maine’s rate, the study found, was more than eight times that, at 386 per 100,000.
According to state data, 8,933 people were admitted for treatment of addiction to heroin, prescription painkillers, or other opiate-based drug addiction in 2010. The same data shows that only 4,874 were admitted for treatment of alcoholism, marking the first time on record that opiate addiction numbers in Maine surpassed those treated for alcohol abuse.
In 2011, data for the year so far shows that alcohol is the more popular drug of choice, but not by much. According to data dated Aug. 5, there were 6,613 patients admitted for treatment of alcoholism, but 5,374 patients admitted for opiate-related addiction.
Dettor said the 2010 data in particular is “alarming,” and said a methadone treatment center would be a big step toward improving treatment options for addicts.
“It’s a good thing, if it’s done well,” she said.
Treatment counselors have to remember, however, that administering methadone needs a support program to go with it, Dettor said, including counseling and other forms of support therapy.
“Medication is not enough,” she said. “It’s a piece of the puzzle.”
The town of Sanford changed its ordinances regarding drug treatment centers in 2008 in response to another company, not Spectrum Health Systems, applying to open a methadone clinic in the downtown area, according to Town Manager Mark Green.
“The council was very concerned that that kind of use not be in the downtown,” Green said.
That proposal, Green said, was put on hold when the Town Council set a moratorium on such clinics, effectively blocking the proposal while the council worked on the new ordinance language. The clinic in that proposal was never built in town.
The ordinance change, Green said, allowed methadone and related clinics to open in certain designated areas of town. The new proposal from Spectrum Health Systems, Green said, is unrelated to the 2008 proposal.
Details of the new proposal or how soon it could be approved are not yet available, but Gulnac said the land has already received site plan approval for a structure. That approval, he said, was the result of a past unrealized proposal to build on the property. If the new clinic’s proposed building, he said, is similar to that which got approval in the past, Gulnac said, that would simplify the clinic’s approval process.
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