METHADONE CLINIC COMING TO BRACEBRIDGE?

Is a methadone clinic about to open in Bracebridge?

Speculation is mounting that a site currently under construction in
the mall located on Highway 118 West in the Bracebridge flats may
contain a methadone clinic, a treatment centre that helps wean people
off opiate addictions for drugs like OxyContin.

A Bracebridge methadone clinic location is listed on the website of
Ontario Addiction Treatment Centres, an organization that runs
numerous methadone clinics in Ontario.

So far, however, calls by the Bracebridge Examiner to OATC have gone
unreturned.

Tom Hookings, Brace-bridge's chief building official, said a permit
was issued in August to several contractors to do work at the location.

"It was for interior renovations and plumbing," said Hookings on
Monday.

Bracebridge director of development services Kim Horrigan said the
location is already zoned to allow for a medical office.

On the OATC's website, the Bracebridge clinic is one of the only
methadone sites that does not have a phone number listed.

Speaking last Wednesday, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
spokesperson David Jensen said the ministry is not aware of any
methadone clinic starting up in Bracebridge. The ministry, however,
usually does not begin hearing from such clinics until they start
their OHIP billing.

"We aren't aware ourselves of a clinic opening up, but that doesn't
mean one isn't," he said. "We usually aren't given the heads-up on
that."

Jensen said usually clinics are operated by physicians who are
licensed to administer methadone.

"For a physician to get a licence, they must complete training offered
by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and also do an
internship with an existing methadone prescriber," said Jensen. "The
training and the internship is required by the College of Physicians
and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO). Then these physicians in turn get
licences granted by Health Canada on the recommendation of the CPSO."

Calls were placed to Health Canada and CPSO. Both organizations said
they were not aware of a methadone clinic opening in
Bracebridge.

At Mark's Work Wearhouse, located next door to where the clinic may
go, store manager Joseph King thinks a clinic is a good idea.

"I don't have any concerns about it," he said. "We need places like
that. People need help. If not here, it's going to be somewhere else.
We need places that can help people, and why not help people within
our community that need it?"

Bonnie Euler, Addiction Outreach Muskoka's chief executive officer,
said she, too, has heard the clinic is opening at the location.

She said she contacted OATC to let the organization know that
Addiction Outreach Muskoka would like to offer its services in any way
it can.

"(We're doing it) because methadone clinics can have a bad reputation
for not offering enough clinical support," said Euler. "And certainly
we don't want to see that in our community. We would rather partner to
make sure our clients and our community members get as much support as
possible."

Euler said she spoke with the sister of one of OATC's executive
directors, Dr. Jeff Daiter.

Euler said a new clinic would save the local community a lot of money.

"Ontario Works (social assistance) ends up being very stressed sending
people by taxi and paying for transportation to either Barrie or North
Bay (where there are already established methadone clinics)," she
said. "For example, in Collingwood they are spending $26,000 a month
to send people to Barrie for methadone. So I think it will be
beneficial in that respect."

Euler said a methadone clinic would be utilized by people with
addictions to opiates such as OxyContin, not heroin.

"It's for the Oxy and Percocet addictions," she said. "That's what the
majority of our clients are seeking the methadone for."

Euler does not believe any Addiction Outreach Muskoka client has ever
cited heroin - another drug methadone is used to treat - as an addiction.

She said her organization has quite a few clients who already travel
to the methadone clinic in Barrie and there can be a very long waiting
list.

Euler said she has lots of colleagues in the field who have mixed
feelings about methadone.

"Initially methadone was targeted for hard-core heroin users," she
said. "I've never believed that substituting a drug for another drug
is a great idea, but having said that, if we see a decrease in the
crime rate because people are not out robbing in order to pay for
their drugs . I'm in complete favour of that. A lot of people will go
on methadone and start to feel better. Eventually they come off the
methadone and are contributing members of society."