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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The only methadone clinic in Alaska's Mat-Su Valley will close in less than a month.
Zipperer Medical Group's methadone clinic in Wasilla is a destination for Mat-Su Valley residents struggling with addictions to drugs like heroin, reported KTUU-TV (http://bit.ly/1VUR0sQ ). But ZMG's Dr. John Zipperer Jr. said several employees quit after the FBI asked questions about the clinic's practices.
Left with too few people to operate the clinic, Zipperer said he had no choice but to close.
"When I lost that staff, basically I have a nurse and me and that's it," Zipperer said. "I made the decision to close because it wasn't enough manpower."
The FBI said Friday afternoon that they were unable to answer questions for KTUU-TV.
Without ZMG's clinic, patients in Anchorage can turn to the Narcotic Drug Treatment Center or the Advanced Treatment Systems clinic, said the narcotic treatment center's chief operations officer Jennifer Stukey.
"We are prepared for that they would have to go on a waiting list," Stukey said. "I have been speaking with (Advanced Treatment Systems), to see if we can make sure that we try to take care of these patients that are going to be without medication in 30 days."
She said it could be three to six months before those added to the current waiting list of 13 patients can get treatment.
The Narcotic Drug Treatment Center faced a delay in a $837,000 state grant, said Stukey, but the money should be in place by Monday and allow the center to stay open.
It's enough to allow the center to treat 100 patients, she said.
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Information from: KTUU-TV, http://www.ktuu.com
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