New methadone clinic opens in Amherst

Correction: MedMark Treatment Centers Amherst, which opened May 20, claimed to be the first methadone clinic in Lorain County, and facility Director Michelle Richardson said the next-closest facility was in Cleveland. Several resource sites that connect patients with addiction care seemed to corroborate that information. However, Elyria Treatment Services, which opened in late 2019, also uses methadone. AMHERST — A new methadone clinic in Lorain County is now up and running, helping its first patients overcome life-threatening addiction to heroin and other opioids. MedMark Treatment Centers Amherst opened May 20 at 530 North Leavitt Road. Director Michelle Ann Richards is a lifelong Lorain County resident and a graduate of Southview High School in Lorain. A health care consultant since 2009, her outlook changed after a 2017 car crash. "It was a real eye-opener for me. I was on a lot of prescriptions, and learned it was easy to get addicted. Thank God I didn't," Richards said. Medical Director Patrick Beeman also hails from Lorain and is a graduate of Lorain County Community College, Cleveland State and the University of Toledo. A medical doctor, his specialty is treating obstetrics patients with substance use disorders. Over the last three years, parent company BayMark has looked at where opioid addiction services are most needed, and took notice of the large number of overdoses in Lorain and Huron counties. The company purchased the Amherst commercial building in April 2018 and embarked on the two-year process of locking in the necessary approvals, including clearance by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. The outpatient clinic employs seven people and treats patients with methadone, a synthetic narcotic that's taken orally. An "opiate agonist," taken daily it relieves withdrawal symptoms and blocks the euphoric feelings caused by opioid use. Treatment helps patients avoid relapse, improve the outcome of pregnancy, get support for long-term recovery and find and keep jobs, Richards said. Medicine is only one aspect of treatment, she said. MedMark connects patients with counseling and other support systems, and has partnered with Lorain-based Let's Get Real, a nonprofit that helps people with addiction recovery. Richards said the journey to wellness can include art therapy, yoga and help getting a high school degree. After completing the first week of treatment, patients each get a journal, which helps cope with their feelings. Now is a crucial time for providing help, Richards said — that's because the COVID-19 pandemic has inflamed existing problems with addiction. Many times, when someone has a substance use disorder, they also have underlying mental health disorders, she said. "That alone brings anxiety. When you have COVID-19, all of us are anxious. Many of us have a vent — some people write, some people exercise and some people turn to drugs." "It takes a lot for someone to climb that mountain and get help. We want to treat them with empathy and respect and we want to give them all the resources they need," she said. Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.