New heroin clinic offers watchful eye on Boston's Methadone Mile

BOSTON — A controversial new clinic is offering heroin users and other people struggling with addiction a safe place to ride out their high.

It all takes place under the watchful eyes of medical professionals in part of the area off Mass Ave known as the Methadone Mile.

The program has faced some criticism, but Mayor Marty Walsh says in this collaborative effort between law enforcement and the healthcare community the first step is trying something new.

Dr. Jessie Gaeta has watched heroin overdose after heroin overdose, many times, right in the lobby or bathroom of the clinic where she works, Healthcare for the Homeless.

On average, overdose happens in her clinic between two and five times a week.

"First of all you’re intervening at a point where someone has stopped breathing and it’s a very dramatic intervention. We've got an entire team that descends on this person and resuscitates them, but it’s not a very meaningful interaction from our point of view,” she said.

Operationally, it stunts all the other services being provided at the clinic, which is why Gaeta and her team have created the 'SPOT’ treatment center, set to open in just 3 weeks.

It’s a  room where people on heroin or other deadly cocktails can be monitored while high, be rescued if they flat line, and if they're interested, have resources available for rehab.

"That’s hard to do in a waiting room or in a bathroom where folks are experiencing overdose,” she said.

Some people fear the program will attract more users to the area, enable current users, or eventually transition into a supervised injection site.

"It’s not enabling. People who are shooting heroin are shooting heroin," Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said.

Walsh says the heroin epidemic is so bad, something new has to be tried, and this collaborative effort between law enforcement and health facilities may actually make a difference.

"I see where the community gets concerned as well in this, we're going to be continuing work with the community. It’s thinking outside the box, it could be one of the most successful programs ever,” he said.

This will not be a supervised injection facility so no drug use will be allowed on site, but the doctors at healthcare for the homeless say in the future, that’s something the community needs to start thinking more about.

Cox Media Group