CONTROVERSY CONTINUES OVER METH CLINIC
Concerned residents, supporters fill City Hall to weigh in on issue
Both concerned residents and supporters filled Ringgold’s City Hall Monday night, Sept. 12, to voice their opinions about the proposed methadone clinic set to open just minutes from downtown.
Ringgold Treatment Center is slated to open in the former City Electric Supply building on U.S. Highway 41, just past the historic Depot.
The pending clinic has been a sensitive subject in town for the several weeks as concerned residents have taken heavily to social media and to ongoing petitions to voice their displeasure.
The City Council doesn’t have the final say on whether the clinic can open in town, as medical centers are regulated by the state. But that didn’t stop more than a dozen people from speaking on the matter during the Sept. 12 meeting.
“We don’t need something like this to cause a major disruption in our lives,” said Joel Chandler, a Ringgold resident of 40 years. “There’s a church, a school, and a bus stop right there. … It’s not needed and not wanted.”
Resident Shelley Fow presented the city with a petition containing 878 signatures, as well as an extensive list of statistics regarding impact the clinic could have on local law enforcement.
“I have the 911 call records for the past four years, and 128 calls have been at 4083 Cloud Springs Road, which is where one of these clinics is located,” Fow said. “And you wonder why we’re worried? There have been calls because of overdoses, people pulling and banging on the doors, auto accidents, fist fights, and counterfeit money being passed.”
Fow also pointed out that school bus No. 39 picks up students in front of the clinic’s location. The pickup is at 6:29 a.m., about a halfhour after center opens for treatment each day, she said.
Vanessa Ruehlmann, a registered nurse, and one of the owners of the clinic, shared her vision for the center.
“This will not be a drug house or just another methadone clinic. That’s the last thing we want.” Ruehlmann said. “We run complete programs. It’s a privately-owned facility with an intense screening process. We want to make sure patients are entering treatment for the right reasons. We live in the same community, drive the same roads, and our kids go to the same schools.”
Zac Talbott of Chatsworth was also at the meeting and shared his perspective as a former addict, who now works as a counselor and advocate for medication-assisted treatment.
“It’s a proven fact that, with centers like this in place, crime rates do go down,” Talbott said. “I just ask that you not look at the stigma and hysteria and know that methadone saves lives. … I’m
successful and healthy from methadone treatment. Remember the face of people like me.”
Mayor Nick Millwood, while appreciating the night’s turnout, reiterated that the city’s hands are essential tied in deciding whether the clinic will open.
“I love everyone’s passion for the community,” Millwood said. “As far as the city’s role though, the state has control over this issue. We’re working with the state to hopefully give local communities the tools we need to be more self-determining.”
In May, state Sen. Jeff Mullis of Chickamauga and state Rep. Tom Weldon of Ringgold backed legislation that placed a one-year moratorium on more methadone clinics opening in the state. Ringgold Treatment Center applied for licensing before the moratorium took effect.
Long-time business owner Jesse Thornton thinks it’s a bad idea to have the clinic so close schools and to a downtown where his karate students run and train.
“There are four clinics already nearby our town,” Thornton said. “I’ve devoted my life to Ringgold, been teaching martial arts for 42 years. People move here to Ringgold because it’s a safer city. … It’s a really bad decision to bring this to Ringgold.”