DPH WANTS MORE FROM SPECTRUM

FRAMINGHAM - Opposition to a proposed methadone clinic on Howard Street has
remained constant for the last six years, but only the voices have changed.

That's why the state Department of Public Health is holding up Spectrum's
license to dispense narcotics, a necessary component for its proposed clinic.

According to Charles Faris, CEO of Spectrum Health, the DPH has asked the
company to resubmit its application with more up-to-date information,
including comments from community leaders.

Faris said that will be done and expects the application to be completed by
mid-May.

The public won't get to weigh in on whether Spectrum should open a clinic
for heroin addicts, but Town Manager George King and Police Chief Steven
Carl will be among those who will be asked to contribute to the community
impact statement. Local legislators also were given a tour of the Howard
Street building this week and met with company officials.

"Spectrum needs to complete its siting process before it can go further,"
said Rosanne Pawelec, DPH spokeswoman.

What made Spectrum's application incomplete was the fact that it included
newspaper articles and comments from previous local officials including
former Town Manager Russ Marcoux and former Police Chief Brent Larrabee.

"Newspaper articles do not meet the criteria for certification," Pawelec
said. "We need to see one-on-one correspondence with folks."

Town Manager George King met with Spectrum officials Monday to add his
statements to the application.

"We're concerned with the fact that we are still in ongoing litigation,"
King said of his comments.

The town has appealed two cases it lost to the state Supreme Court - a
parking issue at the site and the legality of a methadone clinic being
opened under the Dover Amendment.

The amendment is a state law that allows clinics to supersede local zoning
laws because they are viewed as educational facilities with counseling for
clients.

If the town were to win those cases, the clinic, which would serve up to
100 drug addicts, might have to close immediately. That would create a
health care emergency, King said, because people would be coming to
Framingham looking for health care that does not exist.

King also encouraged Spectrum to work with MetroWest Medical Center as a
potential site for dispensing medication. Spectrum hasn't commented on that
aspect.

But King's comments fall short of the demand made by clinic opponents in
town who say opening a clinic downtown will destroy hopes of revitalization.

Framingham is My Backyard, a local group that has opposed the clinic and
other developments, has tried to block the clinic, saying the town must do
more to preserve downtown safety.

Town officials, including Town Counsel Chris Petrini, have said the town
has done enough and must wait for a decision from DPH and the courts.

"At this point, I'm neutral on this issue," said state Rep. Deborah Blumer,
D-Framingham, who also met with Spectrum on Monday.

"I certainly want to see closer links to Spectrum and other organizations
that provide health services. They are a legitimate company and are pretty
responsible and I'm assuming at some point they will be licensed," Blumer said.

Blumer said she too asked Spectrum to talk to MetroWest Medical Center
about a joint operation that would include dispensing methadone.

State Rep. Karen Spilka, D-Framingham, also wants Spectrum to talk with the
medical center. On Monday, she met Spectrum officials who told her about
the need for the facility.

"If this really does get people off an addiction to heroin, then somewhere
our community should be doing this," Spilka said. "If the community has
these folks that need this facility, we should help these folks."

Spectrum officials said 43 of 150 clients using its Milford clinic are from
Framingham.

Once Spectrum completes its application, which will include statements from
new neighbors to the 214 Howard St. location, the DPH will inspect the
site, Pawelec said. If the building meets necessary codes, the agency could
get the license despite public opposition.

"I'm not sure how much leeway we have as long as the applicable regulations
are completed," Pawelec said. "In practical terms, most of these programs
pull their application in the face of overwhelming opposition."

Spectrum has shown no signs of backing down in Framingham. The company
operated a drug treatment center that included dispensing liquid methadone
- - a synthetic opiate used to control an addict's craving for heroin - on
Waverley Street from 1989 to 1995. It also ran a clinic on Union Avenue for
two years.

When the agency wanted to move the Waverley Street location, it ran into a
public backlash it has fought for six years.

The previous clinics went largely unnoticed. Police were called to the
clinics once in eight years and that was for a restraining order issue for
someone working there, Spilka said.

"I don't think people realize that," Spilka said of the quiet nature of the
former clinics. "Nobody has presented to me directly that it would be
detrimental to downtown revitalization."

Faris and other Spectrum officials say they want to open a clinic in
Framingham because of its proximity to public transportation and because of
the need for its services in the immediate Framingham area. Local addicts
wanting methadone must now travel to Milford or Worcester.