CRC NOT GIVING UP ON PROPOSED PENNINGTON GAP METHADONE CLINIC

PENNINGTON GAP - Efforts to locate a methadone clinic in Pennington Gap hit
two roadblocks the day after the plan became public, but a representative
of the company involved said Thursday the hurdles are not insurmountable.

CRC Health Group obtained a town business license Tuesday to locate a
methadone clinic in the former Pennington Gap Rural Health Clinic on Maple
Street and had also applied for a county certificate of occupancy. That
same evening, neighbors of the clinic descended on the Town Council seeking
to have the clinic stopped.

Town officials said there is little they can do to prevent such businesses
from locating in town but agreed to write local legislators supporting
their efforts in the General Assembly to tighten regulations on methadone
clinics.

On Wednesday, it appeared the citizens would get their wish to see the
clinic stopped when the Lee County Industrial Development Authority took an
option on the building involved in hopes of locating a call center there.

Also Wednesday, a bill sponsored by state Sen. William C. Wampler that
would place a moratorium on methadone clinics passed the Virginia Senate on
a 39-0 vote.

On Thursday morning, Phil Herschman, president of CRC's outpatient clinic
division, said his company will continue to look for a site and work to
overcome any legal obstacles.

"Our main goal is to open a clinic and provide a needed service to treat a
chronic disease. People need and want this service," he said.

Herschman said his company, which operates another clinic in Galax, only
became aware of proposed legislation last week, and company officials are
now discussing what they need to do in regard to Wampler's bill and another
proposed by Delegate Terry Kilgore. Kilgore's bill, which is currently
under committee review, would prohibit methadone clinics from locating in
areas that do not have zoning regulations.

Kilgore sought this legislation when another company began working to
locate a methadone clinic in Scott County last year.

Herschman said it appears Kilgore's legislation would impact counties but
may not impact cities. In regard to Wampler's bill, Herschman said he
believes it will require his company to show a need for a clinic in a
proposed area, and "there is no question that we can show it."

As the process continues, Herschman said the company will hold local
meetings to help the community better understand what an addiction
treatment clinic does.

"A lot of the reaction comes from myth and prejudice. The clinics are very
much a help to the community, and our goal is to open a clinic as quickly
as possible to help patients who need and want to treat their disease," he
said.

Wampler said Thursday if his bill is successful in the House, it most
likely won't become law until July 1, and he's not yet certain it will have
an impact on the Pennington Gap situation.

"It is intended to put a moratorium on any new licenses issued in Virginia
and to allow the director of the Department of Mental Health, Mental
Retardation and Substance Abuse Services to determine the appropriate
regulations. I'm unclear how the director would interpret a new license
when it comes to a company already operating in Virginia. Straight up, I
don't know if the director will consider that a new license or an extension
of an existing one," he said.

Pennington Gap Mayor Jimmy Smallwood said Thursday he remains opposed to
the clinic locating in his town, and he believes now his constituents will
see a need for some type of zoning."This came up really fast and caught us
all off guard. We have no plans for zoning, but we need to plan to make
plans because we need to get something in place in a hurry," he
said.Smallwood said he hopes to speak soon with the town attorney to see
what exactly the town can do, even if it is just to amend the business
license process, which he described as more of a tax than an actual
license. The mayor said he may request a called meeting after he discusses
the situation with the town attorney."We've been fighting dope in our town
for some time now, and we've kind of got the gangs off the street. We want
to keep it that way," he said. Sheriff Gary Parsons said he too is opposed
to the clinic."On behalf of law enforcement, we're opposed because we're
not convinced that methadone is effective in getting people off hard drugs.
It appears to be a substitute. I fear it will bring a bad element into the
county," he said.