Methadone News
Tennessee Getting In On The NIMBY Phenomenon
| Posted at 02:03 AM on February 06, 2009 |
http://myspartanews.com/articles/2009/02/04/news/doc498a13d620f20467339963.txt#blogcomments
Methadone clinic may locate within 10 miles
 |
| This is a photo of the methadone clinic in Rossville, Ga., which is the same company that is proposing to locate a facility in Van Buren County. |
Van Buren County could be site for drug rehab facility
By Kim Swindell Wood
Editor
kim@myspartanews.com
Officials
in Spencer are reportedly in negotiations with a Georgia-based company
that wants to open a methadone clinic in the rural community that
directly borders White County.
Paul Connell, chief executive
officer of Private Clinic North, of Rossville, Ga., had reportedly
filed a certificate of need with Tennessee Health Services Development
Agency to locate the facility in Monterey, in Putnam County. However,
Connell reportedly decided to pull the application for Private Clinic
Monterey because of a technicality in the filing process.
Within
the past couple of weeks, Connell has been making plans to locate the
clinic in Van Buren County. His next step will be to file an
application with the state.
•CEO Paul Connell
Connell said he began making plans to come to Monterey about 2-1/2 years ago. He purchased approximately eight acres and a house. He indicated he never expected to be faced with the negative reactions about locating a methadone clinic in small community.
“I don’t consider methadone treatment controversial except in this area here,” said Connell.
Connell said he is now concentrating on Van Buren County. “There has been a little over six acres set aside by Van Buren County [officials] that is going to be donated for this project,” said Connell.
Connell said 92 percent of the patients treated at the methadone clinics with which he is associated are free of illicit drugs within the first 90 days of treatment. He stated 80 percent of the patients are addicted to pain pills. No one under 21 years of age is treated at the facilities.
•District attorney general for 31st Judicial District (Van Buren and Warren counties)
“I’m opposed for some of the obvious reasons, like Monterey and Cookeville were opposed – the effect it’s going to have on the community,” said District Attorney General Lisa Zavogiannis. “In Warren County, we’ve had three deaths from methadone overdoses. So, I know the deadly effects of methadone. Evidently she doesn't know that these deaths are not coming from the MMT clinics!
“I think it’s going to increase our crime rate. It’s going to increase automobile accidents. They’re going to drive through Sparta. They’re going to drive through Sequatchie, Bledsoe [and] Warren [counties].” Wow she has all the myths down pat...what an idiot.
Zavogiannis said the area’s biggest drug problems are related to methamphetamine, marijuana, alcohol, cocaine and prescriptions drugs. and your point is?????????? That you have a drug problem in your area so you don't need a treatment center? Brilliant Watson!
“If you look at the treatment process – how they use methadone – the high risk of death, the addictiveness of it,” said Zavogiannis. “Based on research I’ve got, it’s as hard – actually harder – to get off it than heroin. What you’re doing basically is trading one drug for another drug. I don’t think we need that here. What research says that ...truly where?
There are people here who go to methadone clinics in all those different areas. I’m aware of that. But we don’t have to bring it in our back door and make it more accessible. That’s my concern.” That just makes no sense.
Zavogiannis adamantly stated she would not support a methadone clinic in any county, whether or not it was in her judicial district.
•Why prescribe methadone?
According to U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, methadone’s effects can last up to 24 hours, which permits a once-a-day oral administration in heroin detoxification and maintenance programs. High-dose methadone can block the effects of heroin, which reportedly helps discourage the continued use of heroin. Methadone is reported to only be effective in the cases of addiction to heroin, morphine and other opioid drugs and is not an effective treatment for other drugs of abuse.
Chronic administration of methadone results in the development of tolerance and dependence. The withdrawal syndrome develops more slowly and is reportedly less severe, but more prolonged that that associated with heroin withdrawal
•Statistics
Methadone is a Schedule II drug and included in the classification with other drugs such as methamphetamine, opium, codeine, morphine, oxycodone and hydrocodone.
According to a November 2008 report released by Tennessee Opioid Treatment Authority, Tennessee has 10 methadone clinics: Savannah (1), Dyersburg (1), Jackson (1), Memphis (3), Nashville (1), Chattanooga (1) and Knoxville (2). These clinics reportedly service 7,000 patients and are all for-profit organizations.
The report states the patient gets medication plus counseling required by state rules. The patient doses at the clinic “based on time in treatment and compliance with the program.” Some patients are allowed to receive up to 28 “take home” doses at one time.
Clinic staff members do random call-backs every 90 days for patients who have more than five “take homes.”
One incident listed in the report stated a patient being treated by a Tennessee methadone clinic had been enrolled on 160 mg since 2004 and was receiving 28 “take homes” per month. The patient was discovered to have been receiving an additional 160 mg from a pain clinic in Arizona.
According to Division of Health Statistics with Tennessee Department of Health, there were eight accidental drug poisonings, with methadone mentioned on the death certificates, in 1999. These were listed in Davidson, Williamson, Hamilton and Sevier counties. In 2007, the number had increased to 138. More than 45 Tennessee counties listed accidental drug poisonings, with methadone mentioned on the death certificates. Davidson County had the highest number reported with 16; Blount County had the second highest with 10; and Hamilton was third place with seven.
In 2007, White County had two reported deaths under the aforementioned circumstances; Warren, three; DeKalb, one; and Putnam, two.
•Timeline
According to the Oct. 22, 2008, agenda for Health Services and Development Agency, the certificate of need application for Private Clinic Monterey Inc., for Putnam County, was withdrawn. The project had been estimated to cost $970,565
•Who pays?
The out-of-pocket expense is approximately $70-$90 weekly.
According to a document for TennCare Medicaid that was revised in November 2008, methadone clinic services are covered “as medically necessary” for persons under age 21.
In August 2005, TennCare coverage of methadone clinics for adults was eliminated.
•TennCare arrests related to methadone
In July 2005, a Davidson woman was charged on a three-count indictment for presenting two forged prescriptions, which included methadone, to a pharmacy in Dickson. TennCare paid for the prescription.
In September 2007, a Pulaski TennCare enrollee was charged in connection with providing methadone to a man who died from an overdose. She allegedly traded the methadone for illegal cable hookup at her residence. She was sentenced to eight years in prison.
In October 2008, a Kingston man was charged with TennCare fraud when he forged prescriptions or Clonidine HCL, a drug used to treat methadone withdrawal. He used TennCare to pay for the prescriptions. Oh now Come On...this is stretching it...a forgery for Clonidine and that makes it Mehadone related? Was it being used for methadone withdrawal? It is notcommon for it to be so.
•CEO Paul Connell
Connell said he began making plans to come to Monterey about 2-1/2 years ago. He purchased approximately eight acres and a house. He indicated he never expected to be faced with the negative reactions about locating a methadone clinic in small community.
“I don’t consider methadone treatment controversial except in this area here,” said Connell.
Connell said he is now concentrating on Van Buren County. “There has been a little over six acres set aside by Van Buren County [officials] that is going to be donated for this project,” said Connell.
Connell said 92 percent of the patients treated at the methadone clinics with which he is associated are free of illicit drugs within the first 90 days of treatment. He stated 80 percent of the patients are addicted to pain pills. No one under 21 years of age is treated at the facilities.
•District attorney general for 31st Judicial District (Van Buren and Warren counties)
“I’m opposed for some of the obvious reasons, like Monterey and Cookeville were opposed – the effect it’s going to have on the community,” said District Attorney General Lisa Zavogiannis. “In Warren County, we’ve had three deaths from methadone overdoses. So, I know the deadly effects of methadone. Evidently she doesn't know that these deaths are not coming from the MMT clinics!
“I think it’s going to increase our crime rate. It’s going to increase automobile accidents. They’re going to drive through Sparta. They’re going to drive through Sequatchie, Bledsoe [and] Warren [counties].” Wow she has all the myths down pat...what an idiot.
Zavogiannis said the area’s biggest drug problems are related to methamphetamine, marijuana, alcohol, cocaine and prescriptions drugs. and your point is?????????? That you have a drug problem in your area so you don't need a treatment center? Brilliant Watson!
“If you look at the treatment process – how they use methadone – the high risk of death, the addictiveness of it,” said Zavogiannis. “Based on research I’ve got, it’s as hard – actually harder – to get off it than heroin. What you’re doing basically is trading one drug for another drug. I don’t think we need that here. What research says that ...truly where?
There are people here who go to methadone clinics in all those different areas. I’m aware of that. But we don’t have to bring it in our back door and make it more accessible. That’s my concern.” That just makes no sense.
Zavogiannis adamantly stated she would not support a methadone clinic in any county, whether or not it was in her judicial district.
•Why prescribe methadone?
According to U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, methadone’s effects can last up to 24 hours, which permits a once-a-day oral administration in heroin detoxification and maintenance programs. High-dose methadone can block the effects of heroin, which reportedly helps discourage the continued use of heroin. Methadone is reported to only be effective in the cases of addiction to heroin, morphine and other opioid drugs and is not an effective treatment for other drugs of abuse.
Chronic administration of methadone results in the development of tolerance and dependence. The withdrawal syndrome develops more slowly and is reportedly less severe, but more prolonged that that associated with heroin withdrawal
•Statistics
Methadone is a Schedule II drug and included in the classification with other drugs such as methamphetamine, opium, codeine, morphine, oxycodone and hydrocodone.
According to a November 2008 report released by Tennessee Opioid Treatment Authority, Tennessee has 10 methadone clinics: Savannah (1), Dyersburg (1), Jackson (1), Memphis (3), Nashville (1), Chattanooga (1) and Knoxville (2). These clinics reportedly service 7,000 patients and are all for-profit organizations.
The report states the patient gets medication plus counseling required by state rules. The patient doses at the clinic “based on time in treatment and compliance with the program.” Some patients are allowed to receive up to 28 “take home” doses at one time.
Clinic staff members do random call-backs every 90 days for patients who have more than five “take homes.”
One incident listed in the report stated a patient being treated by a Tennessee methadone clinic had been enrolled on 160 mg since 2004 and was receiving 28 “take homes” per month. The patient was discovered to have been receiving an additional 160 mg from a pain clinic in Arizona.
According to Division of Health Statistics with Tennessee Department of Health, there were eight accidental drug poisonings, with methadone mentioned on the death certificates, in 1999. These were listed in Davidson, Williamson, Hamilton and Sevier counties. In 2007, the number had increased to 138. More than 45 Tennessee counties listed accidental drug poisonings, with methadone mentioned on the death certificates. Davidson County had the highest number reported with 16; Blount County had the second highest with 10; and Hamilton was third place with seven.
In 2007, White County had two reported deaths under the aforementioned circumstances; Warren, three; DeKalb, one; and Putnam, two.
•Timeline
According to the Oct. 22, 2008, agenda for Health Services and Development Agency, the certificate of need application for Private Clinic Monterey Inc., for Putnam County, was withdrawn. The project had been estimated to cost $970,565
•Who pays?
The out-of-pocket expense is approximately $70-$90 weekly.
According to a document for TennCare Medicaid that was revised in November 2008, methadone clinic services are covered “as medically necessary” for persons under age 21.
In August 2005, TennCare coverage of methadone clinics for adults was eliminated.
•TennCare arrests related to methadone
In July 2005, a Davidson woman was charged on a three-count indictment for presenting two forged prescriptions, which included methadone, to a pharmacy in Dickson. TennCare paid for the prescription.
In September 2007, a Pulaski TennCare enrollee was charged in connection with providing methadone to a man who died from an overdose. She allegedly traded the methadone for illegal cable hookup at her residence. She was sentenced to eight years in prison.
In October 2008, a Kingston man was charged with TennCare fraud when he forged prescriptions or Clonidine HCL, a drug used to treat methadone withdrawal. He used TennCare to pay for the prescriptions. Oh now Come On...this is stretching it...a forgery for Clonidine and that makes it Mehadone related? Was it being used for methadone withdrawal? It is not
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