Pain clinics in South Florida are coming under scrutiny from local police and state lawmakers, who have raised concerns about the region’s rapid growth of pain management facilities in recent years.
Last year, more than 70 new pain clinics opened in Broward and Palm Beach counties, reports the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The newspaper also found that at least 10 pain clinic operators have criminal records and 2 dozen of the owners, operators and physicians involved in the region’s booming pain management industry filed for bankruptcy in the past. Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti has expressed concern that many of the clinics are not operated by people with a medical background.
The growth in pain clinics, many of which dispense pain medications on site, has coincided with an increase in street sales of pain pills and deaths from overdose. Local and state officials are pushing for more oversight of the clinics, which currently aren’t regulated by any state or local agency.
A grand jury in Broward County is currently investigating how the clinics operate, reports the Sun-Sentinel. Meanwhile, state legislators recently approved a bill that would require clinics to report some narcotic sales to a state database and would let health officials inspect and regulate investor-owned facilities.
—Irene Tsikitas
