Jake Browning
reporter@thefranklinpress.com
Drug users seeking help in their fight against opioid addiction have a new ally in Franklin in the form of Hazelwood Healthcare.
The new clinic is the first treatment facility authorized to prescribe methadone and suboxone, prescription opiates that helps addicts ease off of their dependence on heroin and other illegal opiates. While the drug can go a long way toward treating addiction, its potential for abuse makes it difficult to come by.
“We’re the only place within a significant distance that offers the services that we do,” said Dr. Matt Holmes, who recently opened the clinic located on Georgia Road. “Macon County has gone a long time without immediate access to these services.”
Holmes opened a soboxone clinic in Waynesville in 2018.
People seeking treatment at Hazelwood must first undergo drug testing and an interview to determine that they are in need of methadone, in accordance with North Carolina law. Once their need is confirmed, patients can pay out of pocket for treatment or go through insurance.
Patients can receive one dose of methadone syrup per day on site, but once the clinic determines that they’re stable enough, they can bring home up to two weeks worth of doses. Holmes said the clinic’s job is to get the drug to whoever needs it as conveniently as possible while keeping it from those who don’t.
“A lot of people talk to us about getting methadone for pain,” Holmes said. “We need them to understand that we aren’t a pain treatment clinic, even though we use some of the same medicines used for pain relief.”
For those in active recovery, however, Holmes said the opening of the Franklin clinic represents a major step forward. About 150 people at a time will be able to benefit from the clinic at a cost of about $12 per dose.
Holmes said that methadone treatment is a critical step toward getting addicts the help they need.
“For the right people, this is going to be life-changing,” he said.
Hazelwood Healthcare takes walk-in consultations at the 3271 Georgia Road office from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Prospective patients can also call 828-595-9000.