Dear Cheif Redmond,
I wish you knew your facts before you wrote your article. Our program has been informing people of the Methadone Program to break the sterotype answer you gave. The Methadone Program does not give out Methadone pills as you refered to in your article. The pills come from Doctor prescriptions, we use a liquid form of Methadone so there is not the street value you refered to in your article. The program does not want to cut or reduce its dispensing of methadone pills due to high cost as we do not dispense pills, it is about cutting low income addicts from a program that is keeping them from buying pills off the street, going to ER's or doctors to obtain pills and/or going to jail for their new illegal activity. The Methadone program is a program for opioid addiction, it has been studied and used for over 40 years. We are regulated by the County, State, Federal government and DEA. The Methadone Program has by law diversion policies in place. Patients come in to take their liquid form of Methadone daily with a Sunday carry, if they qualify. Patients also receive counseling and have random UA and BA's as we are an out patient treatment facility. At any time please come in and take a tour of our facility and I will be more than happy to explain about our program and give you any information you would like. Julie Albright, Methadone Program Manager, Spokane Regional Health District