Hometown Residents Express Concerns About New Methadone Clinic Opening In Plaza

HOMETOWN, IL—A Chicago podiatrist is making final preparations to open a substance abuse and mental health counseling clinic with some drug monitoring in the Hometown Plaza.

The clinic’s owner, Dr. Whitney Castle, appeared before the Hometown City Council meeting on Oct. 27. She plans to open Roseate New Beginnings, 4127 W. 87th St., Hometown, after the holidays. While most of the clinic’s focus will be on substance abuse counseling, the business will also provide methadone treatment.

The proposed clinic came as a surprise to many Hometown residents concerned about loitering, drug dealing and needles, who packed the last city council meeting. Residents and some city council members claimed they received no notification of a methadone clinic opening in the plaza from Mayor Frank Finnegan.

“Why are we not helping them get off the drugs instead of giving them stuff,” a resident asked “Hey, let's go get stoned and go steal and rob from somebody else because I'm high as a kite. I don't get it. I'm totally against it.”

Other residents raised concerns about medication diversion, crime, security staffing, and safety for children and the community. The clinic would be open for limited hours from 7 a.m. to noon weekdays, with some later hours for group counseling sessions. Castle is co-owner of a podiatry practice that has received good reviews.

“I’m here to address community concerns,” Castle said. “Primarily, the clinic is really for mental health counseling and substance abuse counseling, and honestly, due to COVID, a lot of the rules around accessibility have changed, so that a lot of the counseling is now done over the phone.”

Most of the questions revolved around the methadone treatment component. Castle said she is in the process of hiring a medical director, which is required by the state, who would handle new patient intakes as well as oversee clinical and medical operations, and ensure compliance with state and federal laws

“The medical director is required to be an MD. I am not an MD. I'm a podiatrist,” Castle said. “So I'm only allowed to be an owner of the facility. Also I, given my background with medications and being able to prescribe medications, am available to do any sort of dosing if needed.

The clinic would offer three options for methadone treatment, including pill form, which can be swallowed whole or dissolved in liquid, or be taken as an injection.

“They can come once a week. They can come every two weeks. They can come once a month to get all of their medications and leave, so it's a completely different process from what it used to be,” Castle said. “Like in the 80s, where maybe there were long lines outside. It's not like that anymore. They really push for people to be in and out, and you know, on their way.”

Patients would be subject to urine to monitor possible methadone abuse or other controlled substances before treatment. A blood draw is taken at the first intake. Patients will visit the clinic once every week or two, or once a month if they are well controlled.

“They're given their amount for that time period in a little pill vial, and then they go on their way," Castle added.

She also plans to install an extensive security camera as required by state law and eventually hire a security guard once she starts getting more patients. There will also be an alarmed safe for methadone, but she does not anticipate having other controlled substances on the premises.

Once Castle has her city business license pending the successful outcome of the inspection, she will apply to the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery, which could take from 30 to 45 days.

“They will come, assess the site, approve it, and then once that’s done, the DEA comes out and also assesses the site,” she said.

Ald. Gary Dolan (4th Ward) said afterward that Castle alleviated some of his concerns.

“I feel a little bit reassured,” Dolan told Patch. "What concerns me is that she is a podiatrist. It seems like kind of a leap. Let’s wait and see.”

Finnegan said he has signed the business license for the clinic, but hasn’t turned it over to the owner until her final inspection by the city’s building inspector.

“There is a lot of disdain for me but I can’t do anything about that,” Finnegan told Patch. “If a business meets all the code and zoning requirements, we can’t deny giving them a business license.”

After the city council meeting, Finnegan said he apologized to the two 2nd Ward alders, Brian Barnhouse and Melissa Casey-Weber whose ward includes the Hometown Plaza, for not letting them know about the proposed clinic because “there wasn’t anything the city could do about it.”

Asked why he didn’t let city council members know about Castle’s business license application. Finnegan said it was his “first time doing it.”

“My only flaw was better communication and if we denied or revoked them we would have had a lawsuit,” the mayor said.