JEFFERSONVILLE, IN (WAVE) - Some Jeffersonville residents are outraged over a pain management clinic that has moved in next door. The Clark County Wellness Center is located in the 500 block of East Maple Street.
WAVE 3 found out the center has been in business since Friday, July 27 and problems are already surfacing.
"Get rid of them," said Jeffersonville resident Linda Stephens. "This isn't a good place for something like this. This is quiet residential area. They are circling around like sharks, obviously trespassing on people's property."
The facility does not even have a sign outside or on the door.
"How do they hear about it? How do they know when they are open not open? There has been no advertisement whatsoever," said Stephens.
Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore and police came to the center on Wednesday morning looking for answers.
"They are writing prescriptions and customers are going in and paying cash," said Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore.
The city zoning code allows for a medical clinic or a physician's office to be located there. According to Moore, the clinic must have a licensed Indiana doctor at the facility, which it does. What they are investigating, is whether the other medical personnel are licensed in the state of Indiana.
When Dr. Lea Marlow showed up for work on Wednesday, she and the residents exchanged some angry words. WAVE 3's Maira Ansari tried to get her side of the story. She told Ansari to "get a life" and asked the crew to leave the clinic property.
"It was pretty ugly scene yesterday (Tuesday) morning," said Moore. "We had probably 35 people in an office that was supposed to see 25 patients throughout the whole day."
Neighbors are so outraged they took their concerns to the city's pubic works meeting. A protest is being planned by Tony Burns on August 8.
"From what I can understand, Kentucky, Ohio, and Florida have laws to keep this out of their states," said Burns.
One clinic client drove an hour and 45 minutes, all the way from Mt. Sterling, Kentucky. He told WAVE 3 he was having problems with his back.
"How did you find out about this place?" asked WAVE 3's Maira Ansari.
"A friend, I got some family who lives in Georgetown," said the client.
WAVE 3 found out the people running the facility, were also behind a clinic in Georgetown, Kentucky which has closed and got an "F" grade from the Better Business Bureau.
"We don't want this in Jeff," said Moore. "This isn't what we were promised we are gonna chase the bad guys outta here."
WAVE 3 did make several attempts to talk to the people that run the clinic but they declined our request.
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Linda Stephens, concerned resident.
Mayor Mike Moore
The outside of the pain management clinic.
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