Parents Protest as Opioid Recovery Center Set to Open next to After-School Program

Parents are protesting plans for an opioid recovery center set to open next to an after-school club for children. 

Parents in Lynwood, Washington, protested the opening of the opioid recovery center at a city council meeting on Monday, the Daily Caller reported. 

The Acadia Health Clinic, which would hold about 300 patients and offer medication to treat opioid addiction, is set to open next to a Boys and Girls Club after-school activities location.

KOMO News reported that while the clinic is set to open in late January, city officials said they were unaware of the clinic’s plans until recently due to an alleged miscommunication between the city’s permit and planning departments. 

Resident Jou Hou told KING5 that “safety is our priority,” adding, “It’s the wrong location because it is too close to our kids.” One parent called the location “crazy.”

Meanwhile, local Vivian Dong told the outlet “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.”

“We are glad that the city council is apparently on our side and wants to work with us,” she added.

Lynnwood City Council President George Hurst told KING5, “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.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Health told KING5 that they are “now waiting for Acadia to meet some final requirements,” which include “meeting with local governing bodies and providing an updated community relations plan before the department can make a final licensing decision.”

Spencer Lindquist is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerLndqst and reach out at slindquist@breitbart.com.