Spectrum to open new Millbury treatment center
Spectrum Health Systems CEO Kurt Isaacson said a new outpatient treatment center in Millbury will improve access for at least 80 patients living in town.
Worcester-based Spectrum Health Systems plans to open an outpatient drug treatment center in Millbury in the spring, according to CEO Kurt Isaacson.
Construction plans for about 5,000 square feet of leased space at the rear of 50 Howe Ave. were approved by the Millbury Planning Board in mid-November. Isaacson said an official opening date hasn’t been determined as a construction timeline is pending.
Spectrum will use its medication-assisted treatment model at the Millbury location, which will be its 12th outpatient clinic in Central Massachusetts. The newest location was added in Leominster last year.
“We look at the statistics that come out to the state … Overdoses and ER visits, those kinds of things, and when we see a trend we feel like it’s a reasonable place to begin a clinic like this,” Isaacson said in an interview.
The Millbury center faced some opposition from residents, who feared it would contribute to crime and loitering, but Isaacson said those fears are unfounded. He cited testimony from Millbury’s police chief, who at a public meeting said that law enforcement officials from other Spectrum communities have said if anything, crime is lower because Spectrum is offering treatment there.
Since Spectrum uses medications like suboxone and methadone that curb addicts’ cravings, Isaacson said crimes like robbery decline because people don’t feel compelled to steal to support a habit.
About 80 patients from Millbury travel to Worcester for treatment, and Isaacson said more people will likely seek treatment if there is an outpatient option closer to home.
“We’re not bringing in the addicts. They’re already there, we’re just going to treat them,” Isaacson said.
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