News

Abrupt closure of Uniontown methadone clinic blindsides patients

FAYETTE COUNTY, Pa. — A methadone clinic in Perryopolis has seen an influx of patients following a judge’s order in bankruptcy court last week to shut down a methadone clinic in Uniontown.

Some patients told Channel 11 News Tuesday that they are trying very hard to overcome addiction and were blindsided by their treatment center’s closure.

“I don’t appreciate what is going on. I was working two jobs and had to quit one to come down here. I’m a single mom of three kids,” Sarah Bowden said.

Patients said without warning last week, federal investigators shut down Addiction Specialist Inc., a methadone clinic in Uniontown that treats heroin or opiate addiction.%

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Channel 11 News learned the clinic had been at the center of a federal investigation since October and was raided by the FBI. The clinic’s director and doctor were federally indicted in January, but the clinic remained open until last week.

Channel 11’s Cara Sapida uncovered that ASI had 149 deficiencies in its inspection this year. Included among the deficiencies was failure to provide complete records, proper urine samples, enough time with doctors and counselors without proper degrees.

“I owe ASI a lot because I got clean. However, they basically got me addicted to one drug. I didn’t have counsel riding me to get out of there,” Bowden said.

Hundreds of ASI’s patients are now going to a clinic in Perryopolis, where 500 people were treated Monday alone. Normally, the clinic treats an average of 250 a day.

“I woke every day trying to find what I needed. At least with the clinic being there, I knew every day I could get out of bed, go to work and take care of the kids,” Bowden said.

Amy Sheyer, assistant vice president of external relations for Beacon Health Options, said Polaris, the company that runs the Perryopolis methadone clinic, is in the process of working with the zoning board to open a second clinic in Fayette County. She said the company is also expanding the parking lot of its current clinic.

“Polaris expects to see a decrease in traffic issues at the current clinic because once clients were initially evaluated, as all new patients are, about 40 percent will only come to the clinic once a week,” Sheyer said in an email to Channel 11 News.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has proposed $34 million to treat substance abuse, and wants to build 50 centers across the state.