Simple solutions to issues at clinic

I read with interest and consternation the recent Bangor Daily News article about the issues facing the clients and the administration of the methadone clinic on the campus of Acadia Hospital. Though I’m not a client of the methadone clinic, I do attend appointments at the hospital’s ambulatory-neurology department, whose office shares a corridor with the methadone clinic.

Like some of the clients quoted in the article, I, too, have been very uncomfortable with the language and dealings which spill down the hallway while patients are waiting for their daily doses. As my background is in early childhood development, I am constantly concerned when watching young children toddling down the hallway unwatched, unattended and subjected to vitriolic language and unhealthy relationship modeling. Aside from the debate over whether patients who are uncommitted to their own recovery should be enrolled in the methadone program (a debate which I do think is both necessary and worthy), there are simple solutions to some of the problems outlined in the article, should the administration be willing to entertain them.

. There’s clearly no plan to physically move the clinic. Since it will continue to be on the campus of Acadia Hospital, there’s no reason the building can’t be separated from the rest of the hospital either as a separate outbuilding completely or by the simple construction of a wall in the existing corridor. I propose this not to ostracize and stigmatize the clients of the methadone clinic but for the simple purpose of minimizing the disruption to other programs.

. Perhaps the staff should consider altering the time frames for daily dosing. For those people who seem really committed to recovery and those whom Dr. Tisher categorizes as “ambivalent toward treatment,” separate times might be appropriate. It seems the staff knows who is who, so why not allow for minimal temptation for those sincerely trying to do well?

. Many clients bring young children with them to the clinic. The children hear terrible language, see drug deals and watch fights. If the clinic is open four hours a day, for example, I think it would be highly beneficial for Acadia to consider opening a day care room for the children waiting with their parents. It would be of minimal cost to staff for a few hours a day, and the benefit to the mental health of those children would be great. For that matter, perhaps the hospital could explore some sort of partnership with Penquis CAP’s HeadStart and Early HeadStart programs to provide early intervention and learning for these children.

In light of the fact that this program has been so highly publicized and widely praised, I am appalled that the administrators of Acadia Hospital are so easily dismissive of significant problems, including alleged criminal acts. It would behoove them to look at the situation from a problem-solving standpoint, just as their clinicians would approach a treatment plan.

Amanda Morin is a freelance writer who lives in Bangor. Please join our weekly conversation about Maine’s substance abuse problem. We welcome stories, comments or questions from all perspectives. Letters may be mailed to Finding a Fix, c/o Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04401. Send e-mail contributions to column editor Meg Haskell at mhaskell@bangordailynews.net or phone her at 990-8291.