Parents gathered Monday to protest at a city council meeting in Lynnwood, Washington, as an opioid clinic prepares to open next to a Boys & Girls Club after-school program, multiple outlets reported.
A number of local parents and some city council members have expressed concern about the planned relocation of the Acadia Healthcare treatment clinic, primarily over the safety of their children, according to KING5. The Acadia Healthcare clinic is expected to hold up to 300 patients and offer medication to treat opioid addiction.
The center is expected to open at its new location later in January, but city officials said they were not informed about the clinic’s plans until recently due to an alleged miscommunication between the city’s permit and planning department and city council, KOMO News reported.
Snohomish County makes up 10% of Washington’s population and over 18% of the state’s heroin-related deaths, KING5 reported, citing county data.
“I feel like this location is … crazy,” one parent said at the city council meeting, according to KING5.
“The safety is our priority. It’s the wrong location because it’s too close to our kids,” resident Jou Hou told the outlet. (RELATED: Former Shill For Opioid Maker Is Now Promoting Sex Changes For Children)
“We’re in this position of either being called NIMBYs [Not In My Backyard], and you know like — like, ‘You just don’t have a heart, you don’t want to help people,’ or, we stand up and try to protect our community and we want to know who is accountable for this,” one local, Vivian Dong, told KING5. “And we are glad that the city council is apparently on our side and wants to work with us.”
Thank you Lynnwood City Council for standing with the people and speaking out against the @WADeptHealth. We will continue to work with the Council to fight this proposed location and protect our kids. #safeLynnwood
— Safe Lynnwood (@safeLynnwood) January 10, 2023
Lynnwood City Council President George Hurst called for the clinic to be moved to a more industrial location. “This is just the wrong place for it. If Lynnwood wants one or will have one, and I think they should be, I’m thinking along Highway 99, in a light industrial area,” Hurst said, according to KING5.
“Department of Health is now waiting for Acadia to meet some final requirements, including meeting with local governing bodies and providing an updated community relations plan before the department can make a final licensing decision,” a spokesperson for the State Department of Health told the outlet. Acadia Healthcare reportedly said it would hire security personnel around the property if necessary.