Methadone-clinic success story

In September, Thurston County opened its first methadone-treatment clinic. Public-health officials, working with a treatment provider and with the blessing of a majority of county commissioners, agreed to locate the clinic in a small industrial park north of Olympia.

The clinic has been so successful that Thurston County officials are considering a mobile unit to reach rural areas.

The largely trouble-free process stands in sharp contrast to Snohomish County, where attempts to establish the county's first methadone clinic have produced two lawsuits and a six-month city moratorium on such facilities.

How did Thurston County avoid the controversy that has dogged Snohomish County? Public-health officials and treatment providers say education and political support were key to addressing concerns about safety and the nature of methadone treatment — well before the clinic opened.

"This was a partnership," said Ron Jackson, director of Evergreen Treatment Center, which operates the Thurston County clinic and two others in King County. "The county said, 'Let's do this together.' "

In 2001, the Thurston County Public Health and Social Services Department launched a campaign to educate citizens about the growing problem of opiate addiction and the lack of treatment facilities between Pierce County and Portland, said Donna Bosworth, the health department's chemical-dependency manager for Mason and Thurston counties. Community meetings and briefings with elected officials documented the need for treatment and won public support, she said.

Since the clinic opened, she said, "we haven't received one complaint from a resident."

Ken Stark, director of the state's Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse, said support of clinics by Thurston and Mason county commissioners was crucial.

"The single biggest difference between Thurston and Snohomish is political support. Snohomish County has fought this all the way," he said.

Snohomish County Council Chairman Gary Nelson said he doesn't think it's the county's responsibility to open or justify treatment clinics.

Nelson said counties and cities should have the ultimate say over whether and where clinics are opened. Several city officials agree. The Everett City Council in February adopted a six-month moratorium on siting clinics after receiving two requests to open methadone-treatment facilities, including a mobile clinic.

Jackson, whose company operates a mobile clinic in King County and has applied to open one in Everett, said mobile clinics draw fewer objections from residents. And, he said, they have success rates similar to walk-in clinics'.

Evergreen Treatment's mobile unit — an unmarked, 35-foot RV — parks each morning for 2-½ hours at two King County locations, both adjacent to public-health department-offices. As with a permanent clinic, patients spend less than five minutes receiving their daily dose.

The Lynnwood City Council last month authorized a lawsuit charging the state failed to consult it on the location of a clinic planned by a California-based methadone provider, CRC Health.

Lynnwood city officials say they first heard about the potential clinic when CRC leased office space in the city in November. The city denied a business license and building permit to CRC and enacted an emergency ordinance restricting methadone clinics within 250 feet of schools, parks and other youth-related facilities.

The proposed location, in the Alderwood Professional Building adjacent to Toys R Us and about half a mile from Lynnwood High School, provoked alarm among doctors with offices in the building and some citizens.

"We're working hard to rebuild our school and its reputation," Kathy Chambers, president of the Lynnwood PTSA, told the City Council in January. "Methadone clinics and schools don't mix."

On the same day the council authorized the lawsuit against the state, CRC sued Lynnwood, saying it had been treated differently than any other medical facility seeking office space in the city.

Taxpayers may foot the bill for city legal fees related to the dueling lawsuits. From November — when the issue of siting the clinic arose — to January, City Attorney Greg Rubstello billed Lynnwood for 104-1/2 hours of legal work on the issue at a rate of $125 per hour, for a total of $13,062, according to city records.

Costs in the coming months, as the cases are argued in court, are likely to be significantly higher.

Lynn Thompson: 425-745-7807 or lthompson@seattletimes.com