KING CALLS FOR CONTROL OF CLINICS

Ald. Madeleine King has asked the city to come up with new rules to
deal with methadone clinics after hearing there may be a third drug
addiction treatment facility operating in her ward.

Last week, the inner-city alderman raised concerns about a private
clinic that quietly opened in the Beltline and led to fears of
escalating drug use in the area.

King, who represents Ward 8, took the issue to city council on Monday.

"I just found out about another methadone clinic in my ward," she
said at the meeting. "It really brought home that we have absolutely
no idea how many methadone clinics there are in this city.

"And obviously from a planning perspective, they are very different
than a medical clinic."

King asked the city to come up with a separate category in the land
use bylaw for approving methadone clinics so aldermen would be
alerted when one is opening in their ward.

But the city's law department said it wasn't aware of any other
cities that have differentiated between the two.

"The focus of what is happening in a medical clinic largely reflects
what is happening with the doctor's medical practice," said Craig
Meyers, a lawyer with the city.

"Some doctors specialize in treating geriatrics, some in treating
other types of illnesses. But I don't know that it could be possible
to identify every medical clinic," Meyers said.

However, city staff will consult with the Calgary Health Region and
provincial government about ways to get a handle on regulating the
clinics and bring a report back to council by October.

The controversy over a private methadone clinic operating in Calgary
ignited last week after at least one fatal drug overdose on the
streets and fears of escalating drug use in the area since it began operating.

The First Street Medical Clinic, which runs a methadone program at
1010 1st St. S.W., opened in 2003.

Methadone, an opioid drug, is considered a relatively inexpensive way
of getting addicts off heroin, morphine, crack cocaine and some
prescription painkillers.

People taking methadone are treated at a handful of clinics in
Alberta: two in Calgary, two in Edmonton and one in Red Deer.

Since the controversy broke last week, however, King said she has
heard there could be a third Calgary clinic operating out of the Holy
Cross hospital site.

"I am just furious," she said. "I just think it's unbelievable.

"We have no idea how these patients are being treated. There seem to
be no controls about the way the clinics operate."

No one from the College of Physicians and Surgeons could be reached
for comment late Monday.

However, they said last week that while there are no regulations for
methadone clinics, physicians must have a special licence to
prescribe the treatment. There are about 40 doctors in Alberta with
that privilege, according to the college's website.

The college recently released a draft set of standards and guidelines
for methadone programs to follow.

The new rules, which include how to determine if patients should take
methadone home, could be implemented as early as December.