Nearly six months after public officials and local businesses called for the relocation of a drug treatment facility in Albany, the clinic has stayed put.
With more than 80 vacant storefronts along Central Avenue including the recently shuttered TrustCo Bank branch and CVS pharmacy, business leaders have suggested that Camino Nuevo has factored into their closure.
The clinic offers recovery programs, medication-assisted treatment and a safe-haven for people in recovery. But it has been targeted since it first opened its doors in 2015.
During a February press conference on a Central Avenue sidewalk, Albany County Legislature Chair Andrew Joyce pointed out that just 40% of Camino Nuevo patients live in Albany County, and only 15% are city residents. Officials says they’ve fielded numerous complaints about the impact the facility has had on the surrounding neighborhood. Liz Hitt, executive director of the Homeless and Travelers Aid Society at 138 Central, expressed concern about the safety of the non-profit's employees.
“We fully support treatment, as does everyone here," Hitt said. "We want for people to get the help that they need to be employed, and to have their own apartment and to live successful lives...it's certainly not fair to the people that live in this block. In this area. We have children, we have families, we have schools, we have businesses, we have employees at risk. Several businesses have moved out of this block because of this condition. It needs to stop and it needs to stop now.”
Holding a box of used syringes gathered from the neighborhood, Joyce told reporters he'd like to see the facility relocated to a more centralized location away from small businesses and schools.
The Democrat had called on the State Office of Addiction Services and Supports to provide a bit more clarity along with answers concerning what's going on with Camino Nuevo. County legislators signed a letter sent to the agency expressing their concerns
"Unfortunately, that communication was never responded to," Joyce said. "We never heard from that state office on some of these questions that we raised regarding Camino Nuevo. And, again, I'll reiterate my issue and our issue isn't those suffering with addiction. It's the individuals that are charged with providing the services and providing oversight for these facilities. And it's my belief and it's other members beliefs that the situation threat, has deteriorated and is completely out of control. And for us to send communication to a state office charged with providing oversight and to get no response has been disappointing."
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, also a Democrat, says she has reason to believe the clinic is planning to re-locate.
"It takes time for a clinic to actually move," said Sheehan. "There are a number of requirements that have to be met. But we are actively working with the provider. And we have had a number of conversations with OASAS and that is moving forward. So those of us who've been working on this issue for years now have been advocating for and we believe have made the progress that we were looking for, which is to be announcing soon that that clinic will be moving we hope within the next 12 months."
A representative of the Acacia Network, which operates Camino Nuevo, declined to be interviewed but tells WAMC the organization is aware of the ongoing concerns. Again, Joyce:
"What we've found with Camino Nuevo in particular is, again, less communication is very bad. And when there's no crosstalk between state and local officials in terms of how we're going to do this and do it in an effective way, is very important at this point. So that discussion is kind of bubbling back up," said Joyce.
The State Office of Addiction Services and Supports responded to a request for comment via email, writing in part “We have had conversations with city leaders, County and State legislators, and Camino Nuevo to address their concerns and discuss solutions... The number of individuals currently receiving services speaks to the importance of the care Camino Nuevo is providing. It is our hope that we can continue to work with the County of Albany to ensure residents have access to the care they need.”
