Pubdate: Wed, 16 Feb 2005
Source: Bluefield Daily Telegraph (WV)
Copyright: 2005 Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Contact:  http://www.bdtonline.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1483
Author:  Charles Owens
Note: Charles Owens is the Daily Telegraph's city editor.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/oxycontin.htm (Oxycontin/Oxycodone)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Webpage:

STAGGERING ADDICTION STATISTICS AN ALARMING REMINDER OF THE AREA'S DRUG PROBLEM

It was just about four years ago when law enforcement officials declared 
that rampant abuse of OxyContin had reached epidemic levels in Tazewell 
County. Today, the problem apparently remains widespread as hundreds from 
across Southwest Virginia and southern West Virginia are still flocking to 
a methadone treatment facility near Cedar Bluff. I was surprised last week 
to learn that 700 patients are still receiving treatment at the clinic with 
the majority of them still being treated for addiction to OxyContin.

I guess I was expecting the numbers to be a little lower when I called the 
Clinch Valley Treatment Center, and spoke with Ed Ohlinger, regional 
director of outpatient services at the clinic. I know the drug problem is 
still a significant dilemma for law enforcement officials in Tazewell 
County, but I didn't realize the magnitude of the numbers who are still 
seeking treatment at the clinic, and this doesn't include related regional 
treatment facilities in Galax and Roanoke.

Ohlinger said of the 700 patients currently receiving treatment in Tazewell 
County, more than 86 percent of the patients are from Virginia; 10 percent 
are from southern West Virginia; 1 percent from Kentucky; and 3 percent are 
from the Bristol area of Tennessee.

Methadone treatment clinics hope to improve the quality of life of patients 
with the ultimate goal of a drug-free lifestyle. Ohlinger said more than 75 
percent of the patients at the facility in Tazewell County are employed, 
which is an important step toward a drug-free lifestyle. However, with the 
treatment also comes controversy. It's no secret that most people don't 
want a methadone treatment clinic in their neighborhood, and the idea of 
using one one drug to treat another can certainly be a baffling concept.

Although the Clinch Valley Treatment Center has been open in Tazewell 
County for more than three years, Ohlinger said officials are still 
fighting to overcome the negative perception. It is easy to argue that such 
clinics are trading one drug for another, but Ohlinger said you rarely hear 
about the counseling and medical components associated with such 
facilities. He said the length of treatment varies per patient, but can 
certainly span over a period of months, if not longer.

However, with a growing number of fatal overdoses in the region being 
attributed to the abuse of prescription narcotics such as methadone, it is 
probably safe to assume that the debate over such treatment methods will 
continue well into the future. A recent report by the Virginia Department 
of Health warned of an alarming number of drug overdoses in Southwest 
Virginia, and prosecutors in both Virginia and West Virginia are 
increasingly pursuing the use of the felony murder doctrine for those who 
illegally give prescription narcotics to others and are then blamed for 
their overdose deaths.

Although help is available locally for those who are addicted to OxyContin 
and other forms of prescription narcotics, the fact that hundreds are still 
seeking treatment for such an addiction is quite unsettling. These 
staggering statistics are an alarming reminder of the region's horrific 
drug problem, and should be seen as a call for action by the community, 
including law-enforcement, elected officials, concerned citizens and others.

Four years after the abuse of OxyContin had reached epidemic levels in 
Tazewell County, the threat is still very real in southern West Virginia 
and Southwest Virginia. As the region's drug war continues, hundreds also 
are continuing to seek help to escape the grip of addiction.
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MAP posted-by: Beth