Pubdate: Sat, 18 Dec 2004
Source: Beloit Daily News, The (WI)
Copyright: 2004 The Greater Beloit Publishing Company
Contact:  http://www.beloitdailynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1637
Author: Jen Scherer

METHADONE FACILITY POSSIBLE IN TOWN

A methadone treatment facility may be coming to the Town of Beloit in the
not too distant future.CRC Health Group is interested in opening a center to
provide medication assisted counseling on an outpatient basis in the Huebbe
Parkway Commercial Center.

Director of Business Development Debby Schmidt said the group has five
clinics in Wisconsin. They began looking at the Beloit area after learning
from local physicians of the lack of a provider in the area.

"Distance can be prohibitive," Schmidt said. "Distance can cause people not
to seek treatment."

It's not unusual for residents to be scared of having a methadone treatment
facility in the community. However, the reality is this type of addiction,
which ranges from prescription drugs like OxyContin to heroin, crosses all
socio-economic lines and is already in the community, she said.

According to data Schmidt provided, in 2002, SAMHSA's National Survey on
Drug Use and Health found about 13 percent of people 12 and older had used
prescription pain relievers non-medically at least once, and the National
Institute on Drug Abuse's 2003 Monitoring the Future survey found that 10.5
percent of 12th graders used Vicodin for non-medical reasons and 4.5 percent
of 12th graders used OxyContin without a prescription.

"I know that's just a phenomenal rate," Schmidt said. "I don't think we all
see it."

Schmidt said they recognize the concerns of the community, which is why they
make themselves available to answer questions.

"We always try to do an education process, where we will go out and talk to
people about when we're open and how we work," Schmidt said.

Along with explaining what they do in the community, CRC officials do drug
prevention in the community.

Schmidt said the opiate replacement therapy is about behavior change, using
the medication to allow it to work.

"The brain chemistry changes when someone becomes addicted to an opioid,"
Schmidt said. "Because the opioid has changed the brain chemistry, some
people need long term treatment."

The replacement drug of choice is methadone, which many people are familiar
with. However, CRC uses other replacement drugs as well.

Schmidt said it would take 90 to 120 days to open the facility once the
location is approved. While she couldn't say the move into the Town of
Beloit is a sure thing, she said CRC is "committed to providing service" if
the proposed location is approved.

Town supervisors recently reviewed the zoning classification for the Huebbe
Parkway Commercial Center to see whether such a center is a permitted use
and found it was under the existing zoning ordinance, Town of Beloit
Administrator Robert Museus said.

The issue was discussed at a recent town workshop.

"I think there was some concern expressed by board members regarding
possible ramifications of having a methadone treatment facility in that
area," Museus said.

Museus said that while supervisors understand there is a need for this type
of treatment in society, they expressed concern about a potential for
"unintended consequences" in having this type of facility in the community. 
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