New rehab center concerns addressed

New rehab center concerns addressed Planned for former Village Inn

+ click to enlarge News staff photo by DONEEN DURLING Jack Maroney from Healing Hills Village Addiction and Recovery LLC makes a case for a proposed addiction recovery center being located at the former Wachusett Inn. Doneen Durling News Correspondent WESTMINSTER — Residents of Westminster had a chance to have their concerns heard Thursday as the Zoning Board of Appeals held a hearing for Hidden Hills Village Addiction Recovery Center, which will be housed at the former Wachusett Inn. Owner Jack Maroney came before the board seeking a special permit. Zoning Board Chairman Donald Frigoletto invited questions and stated at the start that he did not believe the board would make a decision that night. There were a few residents in the room who seemed troubled by the fact there would be a detoxification center where medications would be provided to ease withdrawal. There were many questions concerning licensing and accreditation. Selectman Heather Billing said, “I just wanted to understand a little bit more about the opt-in and opt-out portion of the facility, and how that would be handled if a resident wanted to leave. Could they just check out?” There were other concerns that property values would drop for people in the vicinity. “That would be something that is difficult to determine how a property value declined in a neighborhood as a result of something like this being approved,” said Mr. Frigoletto. Some had concerns about the impact on the fire and police department. Fire Chief Kevin Nivala did not share the concerns, and stated that he considered there might be less calls because there would be a revamping of the sprinkler and alarm system that accounted for most of the calls when the inn was in business. Jack Maroney from Healing Hills Village Addiction and Recovery LLC said that the detoxification unit was something needed on site. “That is the beginning and point of care where we will most likely make an impact on saving lives. Most people that have a severe dependency will not enter a facility, and in most cases it would be life-threatening for them to come in without a detox.” Mr. Maroney said they talked of limiting the beds to 16 for detox, and possibly scaling that back down to eight. “As a treatment provider, I can’t in good conscience say ‘Jeeze let’s forget about the detox’ because it just does not make a lot of clinical good sense to me.” Mr. Maroney said that the center would be licensed by the Department of Public Health, the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services for all levels of care, whether detox, acute residential care, or day treatment. The accreditation will come later because the center will have to be in operation for six months. “We do intend to get Joint Commission accreditation,” he said. The evening brought many forward that fought addiction. Their stories brought the problem to the forefront of the evening as some told of winning while one spoke of death. Mr. Malone even shared that he was a recovering addict who had succeeded for 27 years. Residents attending were polite in voicing their concerns. Mr. Maloney addressed each one. He said those that come to the center would be highly motivated to quit. He explained that the day was 12 hours long and filled with activity for those in treatment. “Studies show that the longer a person stays in treatment, the more likely they are to succeed.” Maloney said that most patients would be flown in from other parts of the country and/or driven to the center. He said it is incumbent upon the staff per regulations to make sure that they are not discharged to the street. They must provide transportation services to and from the facility. Citizens suggested the conditions for the special permit contain things that will satisfy concerns such as fencing and security provisions as well as a provision that if the facility changes hands, the special permit would no longer be viable. The chairman said he would write up conditions suggested for the next meeting where board members and residents could again discuss options. The next meeting will be held at the Westminster Senior and Community Center on Jan. 21 at 7 p.m.