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Let’s Learn More

A medical facility has been proposed for the Boston Post Road near other medical facilities on Goose Lane. Education about addiction and medication-assisted treatment (MAT) would be helpful for all residents of our town. For example, such a clinic must be licensed and regularly inspected by the Connecticut Department of Public Health. Inspections are performed by registered nurses and other trained public health staff and are unannounced. This is significant for regulatory compliance because department staff will visit various times on different days without notifying the clinic.  Health and safety are the focus of licensing regulations (Regulations of CT State Agencies 19a-495-570 Licensure of private freestanding facilities for the care or the treatment of substance-abusive or dependent persons). All medications administered to patients are oral, that is, pills. No injectable medication is given, so no syringes or needles are present at the clinic. Complaints about the clinic could be forwarded to the Department of Public Health for review.

The Courier article on March 7 ("Proposed Treatment Clinnc Continues to Spark Discussion") notes that approximately 200 patients would be served from Guilford, Branford, North Branford, and Madison.  Patients would be seen by appointment only, and not all patients would need to visit the clinic daily. These are people who are in recovery from addiction. They are coming to the clinic for medical care, not to score heroin!  And contrary to the flippant comment noted in the article, this is exactly the type of location that "the soccer mom addicted to oxy" would feel comfortable visiting.

Let's learn more before we form opinions and render important decisions.

Wendy H. Furniss

Guilford