Drug treatment centers by elementary schools.

triciab79
triciab79 Posts: 1,713 Member
in Chit-Chat
They are building a behavioral health/drug treatment facility (a 72 bed hospital) on the property adjacent to a public elementary school in Gilbert AZ. It will actually share a back wall with the student drop off zone and at this time does not have a western (the direction of the school) wall at all. Gilbert has massive amounts of open lots around town but this one is the cheapest for the builder. It is zoned correctly and they have the legal right to be there. What are your thoughts? I am interested in opinions both pro and con.

http://www.azcentral.com/video/2311105183001

I personally am con but if they moved it away from the school I would be thrilled to have them in the community. I wouldn't even mind if they moved to the lot closer to my house but not right by the school. I have heard a lot of different opinions in my community so I would like to open the discussion to a wider audience. Are there certain businesses that shouldn't be located by elementary schools and if so are drug treatment centers or behavioral health hospitals among those businesses?

Please be polite in your answers. I do not intend to start a fight just a discussion.

Replies

  • jbutterflye
    jbutterflye Posts: 1,914 Member
    I agree with you.
  • triciab79
    triciab79 Posts: 1,713 Member
    I think I may have posted at the wrong time of day. I think this is strictly a fun crowd at the moment. Thanks for your comment. :-) I will bring it back up in the morning and see if I can get a dialog going. I really just want to understand all sides so I can treat everyone fairly and perhaps be better equipped to reach a reasonable compromise in my community.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    I also agree with you.

    Although, I probably would not want it within walking distance of my home either. I am also currently seeking a different optometrists office than the one I was referred to because it is in the same building as one of these places and the optometry is for my child who I would have to take into a building with this on the first floor. There were people hanging around the building that made me want to seek another office for him. Just sayin'.
  • jbutterflye
    jbutterflye Posts: 1,914 Member
    I think this decision was motivated strictly by financial concerns. My priority is with the safety and welfare of the children, and this was just a bad decision where that is concerned. From a realistic standpoint, it's a problem waiting to happen. A high risk population in close proximity to a highly vulnerable population.

    Drug problems usually come bundled with mental health issues, violent or abusive tendencies, irresponsible behavior, and general instability. A treatment center, although a great idea if placed elsewhere, is by definition, intended for people with current and ongoing issues, not for those who have already surpassed those issues (who leave once stabilized). Therefore the actual clientele will, or can be to a large extent, a much more dangerous sample of the population than the average person. I think it would be a great idea to amend the zoning law for cases like this. Obviously not everyone has the same priorities to put children first above the almighty dollar.
  • triciab79
    triciab79 Posts: 1,713 Member
    I think this decision was motivated strictly by financial concerns. My priority is with the safety and welfare of the children, and this was just a bad decision where that is concerned. From a realistic standpoint, it's a problem waiting to happen. A high risk population in close proximity to a highly vulnerable population.

    Drug problems usually come bundled with mental health issues, violent or abusive tendencies, irresponsible behavior, and general instability. A treatment center, although a great idea if placed elsewhere, is by definition, intended for people with current and ongoing issues, not for those who have already surpassed those issues (who leave once stabilized). Therefore the actual clientele will, or can be to a large extent, a much more dangerous sample of the population than the average person. I think it would be a great idea to amend the zoning law for cases like this. Obviously not everyone has the same priorities to put children first above the almighty dollar.

    I am appose to this. After the fight for our one little school is won or lost we plan to go to the state and request some form of laws about the types of businesses that can be next to schools. Even a regular hospital would be far to disruptive to the children and create a risk of one of them being hit by an ambulance or person driving to an emergency. I am thinking something like a ban on locations that dispense controlled substances for use on site. I would think it could fall under the same category as why we don't allow bars and pubs to open next to elementary schools.
  • triciab79
    triciab79 Posts: 1,713 Member
    Oh I almost forgot to add this.

    If anyone is interested in more information, this is our page: https://www.facebook.com/StopSaguaroSprings

    I really do welcome your input even if you don't agree.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    I agree it's not an appropriate location. Why put a facility there that poses a risk to the kids?
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    It is sad that there is still a massive stigma against those that have been diagnosed with a mental illness, which can play a role if people seek treatment or not. Due to recent events and massive media coverage, people are believing that mental illness=violence, which MOST of the time is not true.

    The community should be thankful that a behavioral center is being built and there is access to care. There are numerous people out there who need treatment, but are not able to receive it because there are no treatment centers in his or her own community or funding for mental health treatment has been cut to pay for other things. Understandably, parents seek the safety of their children and I feel it would be a more justified freak out if the center was tied to the judicial system, but it is not. Individuals seeking treatment are most likely not going to run over to the school and announce their presence and if the children are outside, there will be adults present. On another note, there are more people walking around undiagnosed than many people would like to admit.....
  • MyOwnSunshine
    MyOwnSunshine Posts: 1,312 Member
    I would say that addicts and mentally ill consumers would probably be supervised the most in this setting, which would mean that they would be least likely to commit crimes. I'm not sure if you're aware, but addicts and mentally ill people move freely about our society and are not banned from school zones, regardless of whether they are being actively treated or not.

    My opinion is that schools should be secured by any means necessary to prevent people who should not be there from entering. Parents should supervise their children and make sure that they get to and from school safely.

    There are many, many people in every community who have the potential to harm others, and most of them are not in active treatment programs. I would see those who are actively attending treatment as less dangerous than those who are not, and who have equal access to your childrens school.
  • robot_potato
    robot_potato Posts: 1,535 Member
    A school recently shut down in our city because there was a needle exchange put next to it. I don't deny that facilities are needed, but why right by a school?
  • usernameMAMA
    usernameMAMA Posts: 681 Member
    I agree that addicts are everywhere so I don't really take issue with a treatment facility being next to a school. If someone is running away from the facility they are going to go farther than the school to get away. I would think it would be a deterrant for pushers as well...of course now that I think about it, it may be easier access to clientele.

    I worked as a behavioral counselor at a home facility in a neighborhood that an elementary school on the corner. We had addicts and sex offenders living there along with various other violent offenders. How do you think parents felt about that one? We had a policy that they couldn't walk passed the school but realistically, we didn't follow anyone to see were they were going.
  • triciab79
    triciab79 Posts: 1,713 Member

    I worked as a behavioral counselor at a home facility in a neighborhood that an elementary school on the corner. We had addicts and sex offenders living there along with various other violent offenders. How do you think parents felt about that one? We had a policy that they couldn't walk passed the school but realistically, we didn't follow anyone to see were they were going.

    You didn't feel your facility posed a undue risk to the children of the community as well as an additional temptation to offend for your clients?
  • usernameMAMA
    usernameMAMA Posts: 681 Member

    I worked as a behavioral counselor at a home facility in a neighborhood that an elementary school on the corner. We had addicts and sex offenders living there along with various other violent offenders. How do you think parents felt about that one? We had a policy that they couldn't walk passed the school but realistically, we didn't follow anyone to see were they were going.

    You didn't feel your facility posed a undue risk to the children of the community as well as an additional temptation to offend for your clients?

    Oh no, I did think it was a risk. I certainly wouldn't live in that neighborhood or send my kid to school there. I'm just saying they are all over the place. Movie theaters, parks, fast food places. Addicts (to stay on track) are not going anywhere and sadly are multiplying at an alarming rate. I guess it would depend on the level of security in the facility you are talking about. The place I worked was not a secure facility, they had freedom and could leave whenever they wanted. Of course, if they left they would be taken to jail.

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