AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB)- A heated debate is underway in Amherst over the location of an addiction treatment facility.
“This needs to be separated from people, it’s too close to people,” said John Radzikowski, who lives on N Ivyhurst Rd.
Catholic Health wants to build a clinic at the end of N Ivyhurst Rd., on Millersport Hwy. It would provide recovering addicts with methadone, suboxone and other medication-based treatments.
The healthcare provider already offers recovering addicts counseling services on Sheridan Dr. but patients have to go to Buffalo to get medication assisted treatment.
Catholic Health told News 4 it wants to combine services at the new Millersport Hwy facility.
People living nearby are worried about safety and the possibility that property values could go down.
“I don’t want to move but I might have to,” said Radzikowski.
More than a dozen residents attended a special Amherst Town Board meeting on Monday. They spoke up against the planned facility.
“I think it’s a wonderful cause but in the wrong location,” said Susan Stiffler, who lives about a block from the location. “I don’t think it belongs in a residential area.”
There has been so much outcry against the facility, the Town Board decided to unanimously approve a resolution to review the town zoning code.
“The Catholic system is welcome to practice in Amherst but we would prefer they practice where they are presently located,” said Dr. Barry Weinstein, the town supervisor.
He hopes this will give Catholic Health incentive to expand at the Sheridan Dr. location.
The resolution said medical facilities, including those that dispense medications to treat addiction, can open anywhere in the town. By approving it, the town can look at creating restrictions.
“We are going to identify certain places in the town that would be appropriate for this kind of facility,” said Dr. Weinstein.
He told News 4 that if Catholic Health’s facility is approved before zoning changes are made, it will be grandfathered in for likely three to five years. After that time, it would have to relocate to comply with the new zoning rules.
Catholic Health is in the process of obtaining a certificate of occupancy from the town building inspector, which can take six to 10 weeks, according to Dr. Weinstein. It also must have a certificate of need from the state.
Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein spoke out in support of the facility at the special meeting.
“These are people in our community and we have to embrace them and provide them care in their community instead of forcing them to go all the way downtown to Buffalo,” she said. “Medication assisted treatment, and these clinics, save lives. We also know there were victims of our overdose epidemic both this year, last year, and in 2015 that were Amherst residents.”
