Not just Albany’s problem
One thing that people with even a passing understanding of addiction know is that when an addict is ready for help, they can’t take a number and wait. The physical and psychological urges for a fix can be overwhelming, making the window of opportunity exceedingly small.
Any discussion about Camino Nuevo needs to bear that in mind.
The three-year-old methadone clinic located on lower Central Avenue, in the heart of a major Albany business district, is clearly filling a need. Before Camino Nuevo opened in 2015, the city had only one methadone clinic, with a waiting list of some 250 people. The next closest program was in Amsterdam, a 40-minute drive by car, but an eternity away for someone without one and in need of methadone daily.
Today, Camino Nuevo has more than 500 clients. It is no doubt relieving a lot of suffering. But the demand for its services is also causing friction in the neighborhood, where police and business people say it brings traffic, loitering and crime. Camino Nuevo says that the claims are overblown but that it’s trying to address the concerns by hiring more security guards to deal with loitering and cars idling at the curb. It also bought two vans to transport patients and cut down on congestion and people waiting for cabs.
City officials say they’d rather Camino Nuevo find a new, more out-of-the-way home. That’s not an answer for the many people who don’t have their own transportation and are likely living on thin budgets as they rebuild lives ravaged by addiction.
It’s noteworthy, however, that most of its clients (72 percent) come from outside the city; nearly half are from outside Albany County, some even from Vermont for lack of services closer to home. That points to a reality Albany has long faced: As the region’s largest city, it’s home to many social service providers, most of them nonprofits that yield little if any revenue for the city but add demands on city services. They are there because of the concentration of people and public transportation, yes, but also because Albany’s neighboring municipalities don’t want such facilities as methadone clinics in their back yards.
This has left our region, like other areas of upstate New York, ill equipped to confront an opioid crisis that recognizes no city limits. Mayor Kathy Sheehan is understandably frustrated, but going after Camino Nuevo isn’t an answer. Providing more local treatment options is — and that’s not just the job of Albany’s mayor.
To all those public officials who bemoan the opioid crisis but get flatfooted when it comes to doing anything, here’s a chance to step forward. The region needs more clinics like Camino Nuevo, which is nearing a 581-client limit set by the state. Addiction treatment isn’t Albany’s burden alone.
So where are the other mayors? The town supervisors? Who will help the addicts in crisis in their communities, rather than sighing with relief that the problems on Central Avenue aren’t in their communities? Mayor Sheehan surely would be glad to hear from you.