December 14, 2016
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INSIDE
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Drug Clinic Investigated
Addictions expert fights to keep doors open
O PINION
pages 6-7
page 8
S PORTS
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
pages 9-14
by Z achary S enn
t he p ortland o bServer
One of Oregon’s only inde-
pendently-operated
methadone
clinics is facing the threat of having
its doors shuttered by state officials
and the Drug Enforcement Admin-
istration, and the longtime African
American expert in addictions
treatment for the clinic believes that
discrimination may be the impetus
behind on-going investigations.
The Recovery and Methadone
Clinic, which is also known as the
RAM Clinic, is located on North-
east 82nd Avenue. It has operated
without issue for nearly 20 years,
according to its clinical manager
and board-certified opioid treat-
ment counselor, Harrison Danley.
Throughout this time, Danley
said the clinic consistently met
state standards and passed routine
DEA inspections, but claims the
relationship between the clinic and
regulators broke down over the last
year.
A search warrant issued by the
U.S. District Court on behalf of the
DEA faults the clinic for dispens-
ing medication during a one-month
lapse when a licensed physician
was not present at the clinic. Dan-
ley asserts something similar hap-
pened a few years ago when a clin-
ic doctor was absent and “The state
ordered the clinic to stop enrolling
new patients, and only fulfill stand-
ing medication orders. And that’s
what we did.”
Danley claims they followed the
same procedure laid out five years
prior by the Oregon Health Author-
ity when the RAM clinic’s licensed
photo by Z achary S enn /t he p ortland o bServer
Harrison Danley, a board-certified expert in opioid addictions and
treatment, is alarmed at attempts to close one of Oregon’s only
independently-operated methadone clinics, the Recovery and
Methadone Clinic, also known as the RAM Clinic on Northeast
82nd Avenue.
medical officer was returned to a
state-run addiction treatment pro-
gram earlier this year.
The search warrant against the
RAM Clinic also claimed that 48
wafers of methadone were unac-
counted for; a result that Danley
explains is not so uncommon with
the clinic distributing 2,000 to
3,000 wafers on a monthly basis.
“When those wafers come,
they’ll break up in pieces. But we
take those pieces and send them
back to where they come from…
We report all of that stuff,” he said.
Danley believes that the clinic
first came under the scrutiny of the
Oregon Health Authority when two
former patients filed complaints,
stating that they had been threat-
ened or harmed physically. He
claims that these patients were up-
set because the clinic had refused
to dose them due to the fact that
c ontinued on p age 5
Health Screenings Offered Saturday
African American Wellness Village hosts annual event
M ETRO
C ALENDAR
C LASSIFIEDS
page 11
page 13
pages 14
by c hriSta M c i ntyre
t he p ortland o bServer
Mark your calendar for Satur-
day, Dec. 17 as the African Amer-
ican Health Coalition kicks off its
annual Wellness Village, a free
event with dozens of health-relat-
ed booths and a wide variety of
health screenings, held this year
from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the New
Song Community Center, 220 N.E.
Russell St.
The non-profit coalition has put
together an excellent opportuni-
ty for members of the community
to get on track with their health
during the 24th annual event by
offering free tests for blood pres-
sure, pre-diabetes, diabetes, hear-
ing, vision, dental, depression and
anxiety.
Partnering with OHSU and the
Black Men’s Coalition, Wellness
Village will also offer a new activ-
ity for participants every 30 min-
utes, and drawings for prizes and
gift certificates.
The African American Health
Coalition has certified master
trainers for chronic disease man-
agement. They offer 6 week train-
ing sessions for hypertension,
pre-diabetes, diabetes and cancer
that usually cost $250, but after
pre-screening, the coalition is of-
fering them for free for up to 30
people during the event. Compli-
mentary health-related books are
also included.
A dental clinic will offer screen-
ing and help community members
connect with OHSU dental school
services. For a number of decades,
physicians have linked dental and
mouth health to overall wellness.
OHSU’s Casey Eye Clinic will
have two booths and a van at the
event. They will be offering vi-
sion screening services, including
free glasses and tests for macular
degeneration and glaucoma for up
to 40 people on a first come, first
c ontinued on p age 5