HomeMy WebLinkAboutPenny Becker Date:June 6, 2014
JINN 2014
To: Port Angeles City Council Members L .
I Y OF POH ANGEA L-013 Re: Proposed Inpatient Chemical Dependency Treatment Center
OF"r" C.,.Hw
Dear City Council Members:
I recent spoke at one of your committee meetings requesting that time be taken to consider the
feasibility and impact of placing a chemical dependency center at the former Port Angeles Care Center
site. I did attend the neighborhood meeting of held June 2nd at this site where I thought Specialty
Services was woefully unprepared to answer the community's questions. After listening to Specialty
Services presentation I again request that the city council members consider this proposition very
carefully for the following reasons:
1. No one denies that this community needs an inpatient chemical dependency program. The
community concern is not about the need but about the substance of the program and the
proposed location of said program. The question for this community is this the right program
at the right time and at the right place?
2. Specialty Services bought the property and re-located staff before receiving approval for their
facility. I also suspect Specialty Services engaged limited community partners in their decision
to open a treatment program. I think this demonstrates a degree of hubris that does not bode
well for our community.
3. Specialty Services did not provide any data on the effectiveness of their current programs: no
completion rates, no clean at 1 year rates, not one piece of published data on anything. We,
the community were asked to "Trust them".
4. The PACC site was chosen because it was affordable and could be funded by current grant. Was
there any consideration given to other locations?
5. Specialty Services stated that clients would not be allowed outside the facility without an escort.
Yet the staffing plan of 2 staff in the evenings and 1 staff at night would not lend itself to
allowing escort services. It was not made clear if they could be escorted during the day shift.
6. The security plan for the facility is to call the local police department if a client does not want to
stay.This could put a burden on our local police department.
7. Specialty Services did not have a medical evaluation plan for their clients. They also stated that
some clients would binge before being admitted for treatment. My best guess is that the
medical evaluation plan will be an admission to the OMC Emergency Department.
8. Inferences, based on no data, were made that having a treatment center would improve the
neighborhood by reducing needles in the neighborhood parks, improve property values etc.
This is insulting.
9. Clients from other communities who chose to leave the program will be put on a bus back to
their point of origin. What bus would that be? What bus would that be at 2 AM?