Methadone facility's relocation sparks debate in Marysville
They might come in the early morning darkness to the
The reality, Joyce said, is that the majority of clients are victims of what has become a national epidemic of addiction to prescribed medications. Someone seeking treatment could just as likely be an athlete who got addicted to Vicodin or Percocet while dealing with a knee injury as a hardcore heroin addict seeking help, she said.
"People have assumptions that we serve a certain kind of person," Joyce said. "That is not true at all. It's people like you or I."
The clinic, one of 25 run by Aegis in the state, has been operating mostly in anonymity at its
But cramped quarters (there's only one examining room), a well-worn interior and a parking crunch has prompted the clinic to seek a new location. The plan is that it will relocate from its 2,500-square-foot office to 4,582 square feet at the south end of
That has prompted grumbling from some
"I was here the whole time the parole office was down the street, and it was rough," said
King noted the presence of "unsavory characters" when the parole office was operating. "Theft was up," he said. "There were issues all the time."
However, Joyce said that 82 percent of Aegis Marysville clients have never been on parole or under a county probation order. About 4.5 percent are still on parole or probation, she said.
She said that 37 percent of the local clinic's clients have 12 years of formal education and 33 percent have between 12 and 16 years of education.
"The dynamics have changed," said
The change in demographics is a result of an increasing number of people getting hooked on pain medications, which, he said, can lead to heroin addiction.
"What happens is that doctors cut them off and the next step is to go to heroin," Day said. "It's not just the bum on the street anymore."
What seems to have mostly drawn the ire of concerned business owners is that they aren't going to have a say in the relocation.
The planned use complies with the existing
"The main thing is how can the city have zoning that allows a rehab clinic in the commercial business district?" King said. "It should be with a conditional use permit. It shouldn't be with a free run."
Mayor
Thaiphong Vo, in-house counsel at Aegis's corporate headquarters in southern
"I would say our relationship with our neighbors has been good," Vo said. "They often have concerns at the beginning, but we take pride in that we want to be good neighbors.
"Our clients are asked to make sure they respect the neighborhood and behave in a way that they would behave in their own neighborhoods. They aren't just hanging around because of their need for confidentiality."
How the facility operates
Methadone is in itself addictive, but blocks other opiates from entering the system, reduces cravings and doesn't create the euphoric high of heroin. Patients drink daily allocations of methadone as part of an overall treatment plan.
Day, 65, served time in prison on drug-related convictions before his recovery.
"In the old days you just went to get the medicine," he said. "But that is no longer the case. Now you have to go through therapy."
The main entrance will be at the rear of the office and it is expected most clients will use rear parking away from
Clinic hours will remain 5 a.m-
Individual and group counseling sessions are a required part of the treatment, she said.
No government funding is involved other than the MediCal insurance that covers a majority of clients. Patients are referred by other patients, doctors, probation offices or just walk in seeking help, Joyce said.
"Word of mouth is the way we get many patients," she said.
After 90 days of treatment at Aegis, 94 percent are free of opiates and using methadone, some reaching a point where they are allowed to take medicine home, Joyce said.
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