Spectrum expands with Leominster site, possibly others
Courtesy photo
Worcester-based Spectrum Health Systems has expanded into Northern Worcester County with an outpatient treatment clinic in downtown Leominster, and more locations in that region are possible, according to Chief Operating Officer Kurt Isaacson.
While Spectrum runs a driver alcohol education program in Fitchburg, the company has not delivered any methadone-assisted treatment programs in that region until the Leominster site opened last week. Methadone clinics help people addicted to opiates by blocking cravings and prevent withdrawal symptoms by administering the drug methadone each day.
Based on data from the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Abuse Services, Spectrum found an “unmet need” for such treatment in Leominster and the surrounding area, said Isaacson, as the state’s opioid epidemic persists.
“Treatment and prevention are the way out of this. We’re not going to be able to arrest our way out of this situation,” Isaacson said of the opioid addiction problem.
Eventually, Spectrum’s Fitchburg operations will be relocated to the Leominster site, Isaacson said. Meanwhile, the company is exploring opening up to three additional methadone clinics, including at least one in Northern Worcester County, but Isaacson declined to provide further details.
Before opening in Leominster, Spectrum delivered methadone treatment to opioid-addicted patients at its facility on Lincoln Street in Worcester. Transportation is a significant barrier to receiving treatment, Isaacson said, and Spectrum has transferred 30 clients from Worcester to Leominster for treatment, where they’re closer to home.
The daily patient census is already up to about 40 patients in Leominster, he said.
Middlesex County leads in opioid deaths
According to the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services, there were an estimated 1,008 opioid-related deaths in Massachusetts in 2014. Meanwhile, the number of confirmed, opioid-related deaths nearly doubled over the last 14 years, from 338 in 2000 to 600 in 2014.
Last year, there were 113 deaths in Worcester County, according to the bureau, the fourth-highest death rate among all Massachusetts counties. Middlesex County saw the greatest number of deaths, at 212.
Isaacson said Spectrum invested a significant amount of money retrofitting a former manufacturing space at the Spruce Street facility into a pleasant environment. Part of the company’s approach to treatment is to deliver it in a “respectful environment,” Isaacson said.
Mayor: Spectrum’s services needed
The building formerly house a plastics manufacturer, according to Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella. He said some locals have raised concerns about having a methadone clinic open downtown, but as far as he’s concerned, Spectrum is “the best of the best,” in the addiction treatment field, and its services are needed locally.
“There was a time when everybody could just sort of ignore it,” Mazzarella said. “Not too many people believe that anymore.”
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