Clark County drug rehab clinic to close

By Timothy Pratt

Wednesday, March 27, 2002 | 9:38 a.m.

After 31 years and more than 1,600 addicts treated for heroin and prescription drug addictions, Clark County's drug rehabilitation clinic will close by the end of June, county health officials said this week.

The clinic opened in 1971 and was only the second such center at the time.

But a recent assessment done by the Clark County Health District showed that there are now five private clinics and two nonprofit clinics in the Las Vegas Valley, meaning that the county can better use its resources to address other health problems, officials decided.

"I feel sad that we are losing another piece of Las Vegas history," said Bonnie Carlisle, program director for the clinic.

"But the good news is that our community can now deal with the problem on its own, without relying on government services."

The clinic treats people with addictions to opiates, which include heroin and prescription painkillers like Percadan and Lortab. Most of its clients have addictions to both, and they often take other drugs such as cocaine as well, Carlisle said.

Treatment is based on taking methadone -- a drug that blocks the body's craving for opiates -- counseling and case management.

The clinic currently has 161 clients, all of whom will be placed in other treatment centers by the end of June.