Rumors have been swirling about a new facility in Dubois potentially offering suboxone. 6 News sat down with Dr.Thomas Radecki Thursdayto learn more about his clinic.

Radecki told 6 News that his office is in fact a suboxone clinic.

Radecki, a certified psychiatrist treating patients with opioiddependance has been treating people with suboxone for three-and-a-halfyears.

Last Friday the clinic, which is called Doctors and Lawyers for a Drug Free Youth, opened behind the Meadows.

Radecki told 6 News that suboxone helps people who are addicted to heroin and highly addictive pain pills.

"There is a huge problem with people becoming addicted to narcotic pain medication. Ninety-five percent or more of our patients start off with narcotic pain pills that doctors are unfortunately prescribing too frequently," said Radecki.

Radecki said that in order to treat patients with suboxone it is a long process. He said that it takes two to five years.

"Suboxone goes in there and stimulates things a little bit. Not enough for people to feel high. They don't feel high on the suboxone. However, it stimulates it enough so that they don't feel that they are in withdrawl," he said.

Radecki said that the 200 patients that they are currently seeing at the Dubois office are drug-testedat every visit. Patients are not allowed to use marijuana, and he said the suboxone helps get people to stop using tobacco.

Radecki said that when a patient begins suboxone, they come to the clinic every two weeks. Once they are doing OK, he said they come once every four weeks.

Currently, Radecki has several other clinics in the area. He said he has offices in Clarion, Kane and Seneca.

Radecki said that with his four clinic he is currently treating 920 patients.

Radecki told 6 News that suboxone cannot be prescribed at area hospitals.

He added that there are only two doctors, including him,that prescribe the medication in the area. Radecki wants to remind residents that suboxone is nothing like methadone.

"Methadone kills 5,000 Americans every year. All of the overdoses put together, and all of the deaths from suboxone put together for the whole country is 20 people a year. That is 250 times less than with methadone," Radecki said.

Two doctors are currently treating patients at the Dubois clinic.

Radecki said that they are using suboxone and subutex at the clinic.

Radecki said that in three-and-a-half years treating patients, the ones that successfully complete the program have never relapsed.

"They are really trying hard and they are doing good. They're keeping jobs, they are staying out of trouble. They are raising their families, and they're doing what all of us are doing on a regular basis," said Heidi Gregg, a family nurse practitioner at the clinic.

Radecki said that subutex, a cheaper version of the medication is $150 a month. Patients taking suboxone are paying $500 a month.

He said that patients also are paying $130 every four weeks.

Radecki said that they take most commercial insurances butdo not accept Medacaid.

Currently, the clinic is not accepting any morepatients. In compliance with the law each doctor is only allowed to treat 100 patients with suboxone.

Radecki said that currently there are two doctors, and they are treating 200 patients. He hopes that they will be able to bring more doctors in the future.

The clinic is open by appointment only 9 a.m. to6 p.m. It is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and occasional Saturdays.