Medication-assisted drug treatment center approved on Williamson Road

Zoning authorities cleared a national operator of drug treatment centers to open its second Roanoke location with a full suite of medications available to treat substance use disorders including addiction to opioids, which are involved in a high number of fatal overdoses locally. The Roanoke Board of Zoning Appeals on Wednesday authorized Acadia Healthcare Co. to open a mental health and substance abuse treatment clinic at 1529 Williamson Road. Some area residents express concern to board members it would not be a good fit for the neighborhood. But the measure passed 5-1, with one board member out. Member Sue Agresta voted no without explanation, while board member Andrew Raduly voted yes and personally thanked Acadia representatives. "I commend your effort for what you're trying to do for the city because it's a tremendously big need in our city," Raduly said. He added that he wished the services could be offered in southeast Roanoke. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS Feed | Omny Studio In 2022, Roanoke posted the state's third highest rate of fatal drug overdoses per 100,000 people. Petersburg led the state, followed by Richmond, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Coroners recorded 123 deaths in the city last year as fatal drug overdoses; of the total, 106 died after ingesting opioids. Typically deemed accidents, the death figures also included suicides and homicides if any occurred. Acadia operates 151 outpatient centers and a variety of inpatient and specialized treatment center and describes itself as the nation's leading publicly traded provider of behavioral health care. The company earned $280 million on revenue of $2.6 billion in 2022, according to a report to regulators. It is based in Franklin, Tenn. It operates two area facilities, the Roanoke Comprehensive Treatment Center at 3208 Hershberger Road, an outpatient facility, and Mount Regis Center in Salem, an inpatient center. Acadia needs a second center in Roanoke because its Hershberger center, to which the city granted a business license in 2003, has 950 active patients and is at capacity, said Brett Lechleitner, a regional vice president at Acadia. "We have completely exhausted the facility at this point and we want to add a secondary facility," he said. Acadia offers voluntary outpatient treatment involving medication-assisted care, therapy and support services at the Hershberger center and will offer the same on Williamson Road, he said. The Williamson address was chosen because Acadia found an available building located in the general vicinity of where 200 of the Hershberger center's clients live, he said. The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration asserts that "a combination of medication and therapy can successfully treat substance use disorders," according to its website. Buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone, the drugs Acadia clients can receive, treat disorders involving the ingestion of "heroin, morphine, an...