LEE PLANNERS VOTE AGAINST METHADONE CLINIC PROPOSAL

JONESVILLE - Members of the Lee County Planning Commission wrapped up a
lengthy and divided public hearing Thursday with a short but divided vote
on a proposal to allow a methadone clinic to locate in Dryden.

The commission voted 3-0-1 to recommend that the Lee County Board of
Supervisors deny a request by Life Center of Galax for a zoning text
amendment that would allow the operation of a methadone clinic in a village
commercial zone by special use permit. The vote made moot an application by
the company for the special use permit.

The motion to recommend against the amendment was offered by Commissioner
C.R. Wynn and was seconded by Commissioner Joyce Williams.

Chairman Doug McConnell cast his vote with Wynn and Williams, but
Commissioner Barbara Sue Hensley chose to abstain. Commissioner Gerald
Williams was not present for the vote but had sat through much of the hearing.

Following the meeting, Williams explained that the hearing went much longer
than he anticipated, and he'd stepped out to make a business call not
anticipating a vote before he returned. Williams added that he would have
voted to deny the change had he been present.

Hensley said she abstained because she is aware of a drug problem in the
county, and she was "not going to vote to get rid of everything, because we
need something."

Prior to the commission taking public comment, County Administrator Dane
Poe told commissioners that legislation adopted earlier this year by the
General Assembly requires that in addition to existing regulations, the
Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse
Services establish standards to evaluate the need and appropriateness for
the issuance of new licenses to methadone providers.

After explaining some of the criteria, Poe said the bill also places a
moratorium on the issuance of new licenses for such providers until the
date on which the new regulations become effective.

Poe said that he has asked the department's licensing office about Life
Center's request and was told that it would not be seen as a new license
but only a service modification, based on an informal opinion from the
attorney general.

"Since it appears to be unclear as to how this request should be treated
under the new legislation, I have sent a letter to (the department)
requesting clarification as soon as possible in order that Lee County
officials have accurate information in their decision-making process," said
Poe, who added that he was not speaking for or against the proposal, but
merely providing information he thought the commission might find helpful.

Although McConnell requested that all speakers keep their comments under
five minutes each, he allowed Life Center officials to give a lengthy
presentation on how their clinic would operate.

Debbie Schmidt, director of business development, told the commission the
clinic would provide medication-assisted treatment for individuals
suffering from opioid dependence for more than one year and who are over
the age of 18. Priority would be given to Lee County residents, provided
that does not conflict with obligations under federal or state laws.

Schmidt said her company currently provides treatment to 150 individuals
from the Dryden area, and those would be the first patients accepted at the
Dryden facility should it be permitted. She estimated that the clinic would
serve 250 to 300 patients by the end of its first year of operation.

She said while many people have concerns about methadone clinics, most are
based on myth. She said methadone clinics actually reduce crime in areas
where they operate, are patrolled for safety, and the buildings are secure
to prevent robberies.

Ed Olinger, director of outpatient services, added that while his company
does make a profit from its patients, its goal is to give people a normal
life and get them off drugs - not to trade one addiction for another, as
many believe.

Of the dozen or so speakers who voiced opposition to the clinic, most were
concerned about that exact point. One speaker even noted that her daughter
died from an overdose of methadone. Other speakers said they believed the
clinic would drive down property values, draw undesirables to the
community, send the wrong message to youth, or would bring more drugs to
the county. Some said they believed the location was too close to other
businesses, schools and a nursing home.

Two women who described themselves as recovering addicts and patients of
the Life Center's facility in Cedar Bluff encouraged the commission to
recommend approval. They said having a clinic nearer home would help others
who can't afford to travel to get into treatment.

"It doesn't bring a bad element to the county - it's already here," said
Summer Pendergraft. "People oppose it without knowing what it even is. It's
a great thing because it saved my life."

Dryden resident Carol Barnett encouraged approval, saying a methadone
clinic had saved the lives of several of her family members.

This comment prompted a later speaker to urge the commission to weigh the
number of lives saved by such clinics against the number of lives methadone
had claimed.

Before closing the hearing, McConnell said the Board of Supervisors will
have the final say in the matter at its May 17 meeting, which begins at 5
p.m. in the general district courtroom.