SEPTA strike makes methadone clinics scramble
There's little room for negotiation between Innocence DeSantis and her methadone. The South Philly resident said she can't skip a dose even if her clinic is 21/2 miles away in Center City and SEPTA's on strike.
There's little room for negotiation between Innocence DeSantis and her methadone.
The South Philly resident said she can't skip a dose even if her clinic is 21/2 miles away in Center City and SEPTA's on strike.
"I'm eight years clean so I can't let no strike stop me," DeSantis, 44, said Friday afternoon. "I took an Uber earlier this week. Today my friend is double parked."
SEPTA's strike has inconvenienced just about everyone it seems, including recovering addicts, but the city's methadone clinics have prepared for events like this far in advance.
"Right now, we are in an emergency situation," said Dr. Winston Collins of the John F. Kennedy Behavioral Health Center on North Broad Street. "We define 'emergency' as any situation that appears to prevent our clients from gaining access to medication at their their home clinic."
Thank Pope Francis for that. Collins said the pope's visit last year prompted the methadone maintenance community in Philadelphia to adjust how it handles emergencies and "guest doses." He said patients can often have their dosages transferred to other clinics closer to home in emergencies, but that was usually handled by fax.
Today, that information is transmitted electronically with the storage and security applications Dropbox and Sookasa, Collins said.
"Right now, we have 850 people being guest-dosed across 14 methadone clinics in the city," Collins said. "That's a lot of paperwork flying through the cloud."
Collins said all 14 of the city's methadone clinics speak each day by conference call to discuss the strike and issues with guest dosages.
During the SEPTA strike, which began at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, Collins' clinic has seen 57 people go out for guest doses with 54 coming in.
The SEPTA strike is "nothing," he said, compared with the challenges of the papal visit.
"We've been doing this every day, starting two weeks before the strike," Collins said. "We're in constant communication."
Patients leaving Addiction Medicine & Health Advocates at Ninth and Market Streets said it wasn't as crowded as usual on Friday.
Sherry Jackson, 54, of Northeast Philadelphia, said she had to miss a dose this week. Thursday, she borrowed a friend's car.
"It's because the El's not running," she said. "I can't afford Uber."
The silencing of the El has been more than noticeable in Kensington, too, where police say drug arrests and other crimes have dropped dramatically since the strike.
"It's been a bit of a reprieve for the district," said Capt. Daniel O'Connor, of the 24th Police District. "It's not just the foot traffic for the narcotics, it's also the robberies. It's been a significant reduction."
Managers at addiction and recovery centers in Kensington said they hadn't seen major problems related to the strike.
"We've had a couple who have had to cancel because they can't get a ride," said Paul Baxter, the officer administrator at A & O Recovery Services on Kensington Avenue.
Back on Market Street, Tiffany Rowan, 34, said she walked seven blocks for her methadone dose.
"I normally take SEPTA, but this week it's either walking or taking a cab," she said. "It's been a little nerve-wracking for everybody."
215-854-5916
@jasonnark
