Eugene addiction clinic closes suddenly, patients scramble for treatment

Equinox Clinics shut its Eugene medication-assisted treatment center abruptly, leaving patients who depended on the clinic for addiction care scrambling for medication refills, transfer records and rapid referrals. For people in the next 24 to 72 hours, the immediate risk is being forced off treatment without a clean handoff, which can mean withdrawal, relapse and a harder restart.

The closure came after a notice of proposed disciplinary action involving a physician associate at the clinic. The shutdown was tied to allegations and investigations over the prescription and administration of controlled substances intended for addiction treatment, and former employees described claims that physicians had prescribed unwarranted painkillers and committed sexual misconduct.

Medication-assisted treatment is a structured part of opioid-use-disorder care, and Oregon treats it as a regulated service under state rules. Lane County also operates its own Medication-Assisted Treatment Program, with Terry Fields, LPA, listed as program manager, James Kassube, MD, as medical director, and Carla Ayres, LCSW CADCIII, as clinical supervisor. The Oregon Medical Board says it handles complaints and investigations and keeps board actions and emergency suspension information available to the public, while Oregon administrative rules say a physician associate can face disciplinary action for violations.

For patients trying to move fast, the local options that surfaced included Lane County Treatment Center, Community Medical Services in Eugene at 401 E 10th Ave., Ste. 330, and Ideal Option in Eugene at 401 E 10th Ave., Ste. 330. The American Medical Association’s guidance on closed practices reflects the practical problem now facing former Equinox patients: locating records, getting prescriptions documented and finding a clinician willing to pick up care without delay.

Oregon’s own substance-use system is built around that kind of transfer, but the abrupt nature of Equinox’s closure makes continuity harder. When a treatment center handling controlled substances is pulled into discipline or investigation, the fallout reaches far beyond the clinic walls and into the schedules, prescriptions and recovery plans of people across Eugene and Lane County.