Pubdate: Wed, 17 May 2000
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright: 2000 San Jose Mercury News
Contact:  750 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, CA 95190
Fax: (408) 271-3792
Website: http://www.sjmercury.com/
Author: KAREN DE SA

DRUG CLINIC DRAWS MORE FOES

Fresh Fight: County Supervisors Are Exasperated As Opposition Grows
To A Plan To Move A Methadone Facility.

In a public display of frustration, San Mateo County supervisors lashed out 
Tuesday at residents and elected officials they dubbed as ``NIMBYs'' for 
battling plans to relocate the county's only methadone clinic.

The Redwood City clinic, Professional Treatment Inc., is being forced out 
of its spot to make way for high-tech offices.

Bowing to intense neighborhood pressure, supervisors rejected a plan to 
move the clinic to unincorporated North Fair Oaks, delighting residents who 
fought with faxes, petitions and protest signs. Two more sites are now 
being considered -- an abandoned hospital in the hills above San Mateo and 
a vacant courthouse in downtown Redwood City.

But already, each new proposal has attracted a new battle from people who 
don't want the clinic near them. At Tuesday's meeting, another round of 
neighborhood opposition was launched against both of the new proposed 
sites, as North Fair Oaks residents planned a victory celebration.

``Let's not miss what's happening here,'' said a visibly shaken Supervisor 
Mike Nevin. ``This NIMBYism, this Not-In-My-Back-Yard, this is humanity at 
its worst.''

Referring to the methadone patients, Nevin said, ``These are human beings 
- -- some 300 of them -- that need to be treated.''

If neither of the two newly proposed spots proves possible, county 
supervisors have said, as a last resort, methadone treatment could be 
folded into existing county health facilities.

Supervisor Mary Griffin added that although San Mateo County is mostly 
affluent, drug addiction is not selective in its prey.

``This is an attempt not to throw people away,'' Griffin said. ``They are 
the ones, thank God, who are seeking treatment. We all have the obligation 
to help people who are willing to be helped.''

Professional Treatment Inc. has been dishing out tiny plastic cups of 
methadone and providing counseling for former addicts from its Arguello 
Street site for 28 years, but must leave by June 30. Caught between the 
unforgiving real estate market and hostile neighborhoods, the county-funded 
clinic is desperately seeking a place to move.

The problem is, nobody so far will have it.

Redwood City Council members announced Tuesday that the city's downtown 
Marshall Street courthouse should not be an option, although former Mayor 
Diane Howard, a nurse, said she knows the value of treatment. In a letter, 
the council cited plans to demolish the courthouse and restore it as a 
downtown park at some point.

This announcement brought a sharp response from a still steaming Supervisor 
Nevin, who called Redwood City Mayor Ira Ruskin ``gutless'' after the 
meeting. Nevin later called Ruskin and apologized ``profusely,'' a miffed 
Ruskin said.

Residents in and around the old Crystal Springs Hospital site on Tower Road 
also say they don't want former addicts roaming their streets and spacious 
hillsides. And although many only learned of the meeting the night before, 
they had prepared a bevy of arguments, including seismic instability, lack 
of sidewalks and the ineffectiveness of methadone treatment in general.

``We're concerned about the economic impact,'' said Merry-Lee Musich, who 
owns a nearby shopping center. ``What is going to happen to these people 
when they're wandering around the neighborhood? Are they going to be 
frightening children? Will we wind up with a homeless shelter?''

Denise Haas, whose daughter goes to a preschool on Tower Road, said the 
clinic and its clients would threaten the students, who suffer from 
physical and emotional disabilities.

``This goes beyond my comprehension,'' Haas said. ``We're going to put 
these children in harm's way. My daughter has impaired judgment and she 
will run into traffic.''

The methadone patients say they are the victims of stereotypes. High-tech 
executives, hospital and construction workers, business owners, as well as 
the unemployed and homeless, are among those served.

Patients stay an average of five minutes, mainly in the early morning on 
their way to work. At the current site, six schools are in walking 
distance, including two pre-schools.

And although loitering is prohibited, some clients stop outside for a brief 
chat and a smoke. ``This place is a lifesaver,'' said Jose Flood, a Redwood 
City trucker. ``We don't want to bother anyone, we just go in and out. I 
don't steal, I don't rob, I live just like the next guy -- from paycheck to 
paycheck.''
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart