MONROE, N.C. — Some Monroe residents and business owners are angry about a plan that would put a methadone clinic in downtown Monroe.
The clinic is a facility where people can be treated for opioid addiction.
Cindy McCotter, the owner of Sports to You, is one of the people who is against the location of the methadone clinic. McCotter's business has been in the same spot for 25 years and has seen how much the area has changed.
“Ten, 15 years ago there was nothing," McCotter said. "Closed businesses with wood on the door. Downtown Monroe has spent a lot of time and money drawing businesses to downtown Monroe.”
There used to be a Family Video store in Downtown Monroe. That's the new proposed site for the methadone clinic.
Elyse Powell, Executive Director of the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition said the opioid epidemic is serious and spreading. NCDHHS reported from 2000 to 2022 more than 36,000 North Carolinians died from an opioid overdose.
"The medication to help those with an addiction, it has to be dispensed through an opioid treatment program, which is what we know as a methadone clinic," Powell said.
Powell said when it comes to more rural areas, these clinics are needed more than ever,
"These are counties that tend to lack access to healthcare in general, and when you think of someone trying to access, how many barriers are in the way, like transportation which is why being close is so important."
During the Jan. 18 Monroe City Council meeting, there was public comment about the proposal. McCotter was one of many business owners who said they didn't like the location but were in support of the clinic.
"It needs to be a part of the medical facility since it's along the lines of what it is," McCotter said.
WCNC Charlotte reached out to Monroe City Council members but has yet to receive a response.
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.