CLARK COUNTY DRUG REHAB CLINIC TO CLOSE

After 31 years and more than 1,600 addicts treated for heroin and
prescription drug addictions, Clark County's drug rehabilitation clinic
will close by the end of June, county health officials said this week.

The clinic opened in 1971 and was only the second such center at the time.

But a recent assessment done by the Clark County Health District showed
that there are now five private clinics and two nonprofit clinics in the
Las Vegas Valley, meaning that the county can better use its resources to
address other health problems, officials decided.

"I feel sad that we are losing another piece of Las Vegas history," said
Bonnie Carlisle, program director for the clinic.

"But the good news is that our community can now deal with the problem on
its own, without relying on government services."

The clinic treats people with addictions to opiates, which include heroin
and prescription painkillers like Percadan and Lortab. Most of its clients
have addictions to both, and they often take other drugs such as cocaine as
well, Carlisle said.

Treatment is based on taking methadone -- a drug that blocks the body's
craving for opiates -- counseling and case management.

The clinic currently has 161 clients, all of whom will be placed in other
treatment centers by the end of June.