AUTHORITIES PROBE METHADONE CLINIC DEATH

41-Year-Old Was Being Administered Daily Doses To Treat Drug Addiction

Medical and police authorities are investigating the death of a man
who was a patient at an Ottawa methadone clinic.

Wade Hatt, who was receiving daily doses of methadone as a way to
ease him off his drug addiction, died of a methadone overdose in
October after visiting the clinic on Somerset Street West.

"All we can say is that we are aware he'd gone to the clinic for
medication and he was found dead the next day," Dr. Jim Cairns,
deputy chief coroner for Ontario, said yesterday. "There are some
issues we are looking into: What role the clinic did or did not play
in his death."

Dr. Cairns hopes to have the investigation completed in a month, at
which point more information will be made public, including how much
meth-adone Mr. Hatt was given before his death.

The clinic, run by the Ontario Addiction Treatment Centres, is one of
several in the province that administers the synthetic narcotic,
which is widely used to wean patients off heroin and opiate-based painkillers.

The liquid is usually mixed with orange juice when administered and
is regarded as a safer way for addicts to cut down on unlawful drug
use and avoid withdrawal symptoms so they can concentrate on
rebuilding their lives.

Provincewide, the centres have provided methadone treatments to more
than 10,000 patients since opening the first clinic in 1995.

Staff at the Ottawa clinic refused to comment on Mr. Hatt's case.
Officials with the Ontario Addiction Treatment Centres could not be reached.

Dr. Cairns, however, pointed out that the dose of methadone given to
a patient is an individual thing. "One person may be controlled with
an 80-milligram dose, one at 100. There's no such thing as a
standard, but if the dose is increased, you get drowsy, fall asleep
and start snoring; then you die," he said, noting that the question
of how Mr. Hatt's dosage was administered is part of the investigation.

According to a Toronto newspaper, a nurse gave Mr. Hatt, a
41-year-old father of two, 10 times his normal dosage. The extra
dosages were intended for his girlfriend, who is also being treated
for drug addiction.

The paper reported that Mr. Hatt asked the treatment centre nurse,
"Is this going to kill me?" after he realized he'd been given a much
larger amount of methadone. Allegedly, the nurse told Mr. Hatt to go
home and head to the hospital if he got unusually sleepy.

Normal protocol in an overdose situation on the Ontario Addiction
Treatment Centres website says patients should be admitted to
hospital for at least 24 hours.

"It is a complex therapy and the drug is quite potent," said Della
Croteau, deputy registrar for the Ontario College of Pharmacists.

Ottawa's methadone clinic occupies an unassuming storefront on
Somerset Street West, three doors down from a community police
station. It's marked only by a simple green and white sign that
reads, "OATC Ottawa Clinic." Dark curtains cover the windows.

On any given day, a steady stream of clients passes through the doors.

Among the clients yesterday was 40-year-old Joanne, who declined to
give her last name. A 10-year heroin addict, Joanne used methadone
clinics in Toronto for several years, before starting at Ottawa's
clinic in 2004.

Joanne had heard of the incident involving Mr. Hatt, but said she is
not concerned about the treatment she receives at the Ottawa clinic,
adding that there is a real need for its services. "This is a city
that needs methadone clinics. There's a lot of people who need it," she said.

Joanne was more concerned about young drug users who request to be
put on a methadone program, without realizing that it is a
potentially lethal and addictive drug.

She said methadone users are partly responsible for ensuring they
receive the correct dose, and they should check the dose before they
leave the clinic.

Some side-effects of methadone are sleepiness, sweating, constipation
or weight changes. In non-tolerant patients, 10 milligrams is enough
to kill a child, while 50 milligrams can kill an adult.