Methadone clinic awaiting permit Federal approval expected this month

BANGOR – A methadone clinic set to open this month at Acadia Hospital’s Stillwater Avenue campus awaits a federal permit before it can begin dispensing the drug, according to hospital officials.

The clinic, news of which sparked a firestorm of debate here during the past year, already has received its much-anticipated license from the Maine Office of Substance Abuse, according to Acadia officials.

But while the facility is ready to go, the program awaits a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration number, an administrative action that is expected this month, according to Lynn Madden, vice president of administrative services at Acadia.

Upon DEA approval, the hospital then would need to order the drug, a synthetic narcotic used to treat those addicted to heroin or other opiates such as the prescription painkiller OxyContin, the abuse of which has plagued the region in recent months.

News of the clinic prompted staunch opposition from law enforcement officials, school officials and some community members. Critics voiced concerns that the drug’s availability would attract hard-core addicts to the area and result in increased crime.

After months of negotiations, a committee set up to study opiate abuse in the region recommended that the clinic be allowed to open under certain conditions. The conditions included the formation of a community advisory group to assess the clinic’s operation and the retention of an independent evaluator to assess the clinic’s effect on the community.

Madden said Thursday that the clinic would begin by serving between 10 and 15 addicts, all of whom currently receive the drug at the Discovery House, a for-profit clinic in Winslow.

“Our plan is to get started with people already in treatment and as we determine our procedures work, we will be accepting new clients,” Madden said of the clinic, which is licensed to serve 150 clients.