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Pocono News Section
Methadone Clinic Clash
Methadone Clinic Clash - Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 04:09AM EST
Reported by: Joe Holden
Tuesday May 11 2010
ASHLEY, LUZERNE COUNTY- The sparring over a methadone clinic in the borough of Ashley has new battle lines drawn. Council members, who were previously quiet on the matter and how it received approval, are now citing a federal lawsuit as reason to avoid commenting. That left a room packed with homeowners in limbo, forced to draw their own conclusions about the facility and how it received approval to accept patients.
Miners Medical Center and a parent company filed the lawsuit in federal court last month.
Leaders previously told Eyewitness News, the facility was granted permission to operate under the terms of a physician's office. A cease and desist letter was delivered just days before the facility took the issue into federal court.
No decision has been made about the center's future, though residents said it continued to operate as recently as Tuesday afternoon.
Samantha Malia spoke out against the clinic's naysayers at the council meeting. A recovering addict, Malia said her pathway to addiction began nine years ago after a car accident. Malia said 15 to 20 valium pills a day no longer helped her symptoms. Malia turned to more serious narcotics. Recently, she ended up at the clinic.
Today, Malia is clean. She credits the clinic for that. Malia believes a lack of education about methadone clinics has led to fear. | | |
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