BILL ENACTS NEW RULES FOR METHADONE CLINICS A state Senate committee approved a bill detailing new licensing rules for methadone clinics in West Virginia. West Virginia has eight clinics that use methadone, a synthetic narcotic, to treat people addicted to opium-based drugs such as heroin, morphine and OxyContin. Methadone helps wean patients off those drugs. All the clinics have opened since 2001. They are in Beckley, Charleston, Clarksburg, Huntington, Martinsburg, Parkersburg, Williamson, Mineral County and Wheeling. The bill mirrors emergency licensing rules that the Department of Health and Human Resources enacted in July 2005. Under the rules, clinics pay a $250 licensing fee and up to $750 to renew the license, depending on the number of patients they serve. The Department of Health and Human Resources' Office of Health Facilities Licensure and Certification inspects the clinics, as does the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. The rules concern clinic administration, facilities and security. Each facility must have a medical director who is a doctor. Each patient must be assigned a counselor and take regular drug tests. Clinics must be diligent about making sure patients are not simultaneously enrolled in multiple methadone treatment programs. The licensing program is expected to cost the state up to $75,000 a year to operate. Licensing fees will not cover that cost. The bill was sent to the Senate.
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