Pubdate: Mon, 01 Mar 2004 Source: Knoxville News-Sentinel (TN) Copyright: 2004 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. Contact: http://www.knoxnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/226 Author: Julie Howle Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone) NEW METHADONE CLINIC HAS NEIGHBORS UNEASY Ailor Ave. Businesses Seek To Stop Opening Sixteen businesses in the Ailor Avenue area share a common goal: to stop a methadone clinic from coming into the neighborhood. "I have as much sympathy and compassion as any human being, but the concern is the potential behaviors of people who have drug addictions," said Ernest Youngblood, owner of the life insurance company Ernest Youngblood Associates and Optimum, The Employee Benefits Group Co. Mary Little, regional supervisor for the Knoxville medical clinics owned by Drug-Research-Development Management Inc., said the methadone clinic on Bernard Avenue has never had problems with its neighbors. "In fact, they (the Bernard Avenue clinic's neighbors) gave us letters of support when we applied for our CON (certificate of need) for this location," Little said. The new clinic, which is set to open at 412 Citico St. off of Ailor Avenue, will distribute methadone, a synthetic narcotic that can ease cravings for opiate drugs like heroin and OxyContin and also help with withdrawal symptoms. Frank Grace, attorney for the DRD Management clinic, said the facility is needed because of the growing volume of patients in Knoxville and the surrounding areas. Little said the group wanted to separate the large clinic on Bernard Avenue into two smaller clinics so it can divide the population and accept more patients to alleviate a waiting list. "We are really a program that strives to improve the quality of people's lives," she said. Attorney Steve Roth said the Ailor Avenue businesses worry about the clinic's impact on the neighborhood. "They're concerned about the kind of image that's going to create in the area, and they're concerned about the amount of traffic it will cause," Roth said. Youngblood thinks the clinic could pose a security problem. Many of the businesses share parking lots, he said. "It's one giant sea of asphalt with nothing separating it," Youngblood said. He also said the "potential behaviors" of the clinic's patients has "caused fears in our female employees walking to their cars at night." Youngblood also said potential break-ins are a concern. "We're concerned for the security of our property and the security of our workers," Youngblood said. Little disagrees. She said she believes the clinic's neighbors at the Bernard Avenue location would have brought any security or traffic issues to her attention. "There's a misconception that our patients are criminals, and that's not true," Little said. She said approximately 92 percent of the applicants the clinic treats are addicted to OxyContin, not heroin. "The heroin is not a problem here. It's the prescription drugs," Little said. She said many of the patients had medical problems and have become addicted to their pain medications. Shannon Lowe is a pharmacist for Cardinal Health, which operates a pharmacy in the area. She said area businesses hired Roth to see if the proposed clinic has complied with state and local requirements related to the permitting process. Roth said the group is checking on the certificate of need for the methadone clinic as well as the process in which the building permit was issued. Little said the clinic should open and start serving patients soon. She said the clinics don't just distribute methadone. They also help patients with job training, job applications and resumes. "That's what we're trying to do, get them back in society so they can pay taxes and help their families," Little said. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin