Methadone clinic instructed to stop accepting new clients

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) - A methadone clinic in Maryland has been instructed to stop accepting new clients until it complies with a mandated staff-to-client ratio.

The Herald-Mail reports (https://bit.ly/1QAhI5X ) Hagerstown Treatment Center was notified by the Behavioral Health Administration to cease and desists in accepting any admissions until it hires an adequate number of counselors to comply with the 1-to-50 ratio.

Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene spokesman Christopher Garrett says two counselors have left the clinic in the past month. He also says the clinic indicated it has had issues hiring new staff because of its rural location.

Garrett also says that discharged patients should not be replaced with new admissions.

He added that the current staff-to-client ratio is 1-to-53.

The clinic moved to its current location in April 2014.

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Information from: The Herald-Mail of Hagerstown, Md., https://www.herald-mail.com