Lane County is looking to open a new clinic in Florence to help treat opioid addiction.
The county wants to create a satellite of its treatment center in Eugene, which provides drug-assisted care using methadone or buprenorphine, two lower-risk opioids.
According to the county, there are currently no methadone clinics on the Oregon coast between Seaside and Coos Bay—a more than 200-mile stretch.
Lane County Treatment Center's Clinical Supervisor Carla Ayres said some patients from Florence travel to Eugene frequently, even daily, for their doses. She said the long drive has led some people to stop treatment altogether.
“It's hard to have a job, it's hard to take care of kids, go to school, do all the things you normally do if you're spending a huge amount of time transporting back and forth for medication," said Ayres.
Earlier this month, Lane County Commissioners approved plans to buy a building in northern Florence along Highway 101 for more than $1.7 million. The County Administrator still has to finalize the purchase.
A county official said there would be a public outreach and feedback process before opening it as a treatment facility.
Terry Fields, the Program Manager for the Lane County Treatment Center, said when they moved to their current location in Eugene, it faced misconceptions and opposition from some community members about living near a treatment clinic.
Ayres, the Clinical Supervisor, said many of the people who receive methadone are working and living like anyone else in the community, and many would never know they rely on the treatment.
"It's not like we're going to enter into the community and all these people are going to show up afterwards," said Ayres. "Florence already has this as an issue, and we want to come in and help create a healthier community, healthier moms and dads, healthier workers, healthier people."
County staff estimate that the Florence facility would serve up to 30 clients in Lane County immediately, and up to 100 clients in its first year.
