PROPOSED METHADONE CLINIC NOT COMING TO PRINCETON?

BLUEFIELD -- A proposed methadone clinic apparently will not be built in
Mercer County, according to Daniel Dunmyer, the CEO of Princeton Community
Hospital.

"About three months, ago I was told that a company had applied for a
certificate of need from the state for a methadone clinic," Dunmyer said.

After finding out about the certificate of need application, Dunmyer and
other concerned citizens began asking questions about methadone. What they
found was not very encouraging, Dunmyer said.

"I was concerned that a clinic of this sort would cause problems for the
community," he said. "We voiced our concern to the state Health Care Authority.

"Most literature I've read about methadone clinics say they have the
potential to become dangerous to the communities the serve," he said. "I'm
sure some people benefit from using metha-done, but the drug has been
abused a lot."

Dunmyer and about 15 other residents from Bluefield and Princeton set up a
meeting with the company applying for the certificate of need, the National
Specialty Clinic based in Tennessee.

Representatives from the National Specialty Clinic did not show up for the
meeting, Dunmyer said.

"They decided they would no longer pursue the clinic," he said.

The reason the National Specialty Clinic gave for not pursuing the
application was that they did not feel any need to expand and they would
continue to treat people from their clinic in Beckley, Dunmyer said.

The application for the certificate of need has not been removed.

"The National Specialty Clinic told us they would keep the application
active so no one else would apply in Mercer County," Dunmyer said.

However, keeping the application active does not pose any legal barriers to
anyone else submitting an application, according to Mary Ann Kapinos,
general counsel for the W.Va. Health Care Authority.

"As of now, the National Specialty Clinic has not requested that we put a
hold on the application or terminate it," Kapinos said.

"However, if they do not pursue it, then they won't get a certificate of
need," Kapinos said.

"I believe that a clinic wasn't necessary, so I was pleased with the
decision not to pursue the application," Dunmyer said. "What bothers me is
that I had to hear about the methadone clinic through the grapevine. How
can something like this be considered without anyone from the community
that would be affected knowing?"

Currently, there are seven methadone clinics operating in the Mountain
State. They are located in Williamson, Beckley, Charleston, Huntington,
Parkersburg, Clarks-burg and Martinsburg. These seven clinics treat more
than 3,000 patients across West Virginia.

"I am concerned about the rapid growth of methadone clinics in the state,"
Dr. Michael McNeer said. "I am concerned because West Virginia has no laws
regulating methadone or the clinics. West Virginia relies on federal
regulations, which in my opinion are too liberal. I believe that this state
needs more specific regulations."

McNeer may get his wish. Del. Dr. Marshall Long, D-Mercer, is planning to
introduce legislation regulating methadone and methadone clinics.

"We don't want to shut these clinics down because there is a need. We just
want to ensure the patient receives the proper care," Long said. "This
legislation is modeled after Ohio's laws that regulate methadone."

Ohio requires that clinics administering methadone provide services to the
patient other than the medication, Long said. These services include
psychological, vocational and educational programs for the patient.

Long plans to start work drafting the legislation in November or December
so he can introduce it early in the Legislative session.

Methadone produces a strong physical dependency like other strong opioids,
McNeer said. There has also been an increase in reports of methadone abuse
and fatal overdoses, he said.

Methadone is in the opioid family, which means it is a schedule II drug,
McNeer said. It is used to treat people addicted to other opioids such as
morphine, OxyContin and Dilaudid. It is also used to treat heroin addicts.
Schedule II drugs are the most controlled class of prescription
medications, McNeer said.

Methadone is not covered by insurance companies, Dunmyer said.

"It costs the person $12.50 a day to get methadone. That's 365 days a year.
That adds up to a lot of money," Dunmyer said.

Messages left with the National Specialty Clinic by the Daily Telegraph
were not returned.