Modesto treatment center is needed

I would like to respond to the individual who does not want Nirvana Drug and Alcohol Treatment in the Maze Boulevard neighborhood ("Cover clinic opponents," Dec. 29, Letters).

First, Nirvana is not a clinic; it is a residential drug and alcohol treatment center. This means that the clients are highly supervised, making drugs and drug-related crime virtually nonexistent at the facility.

Second, drug and alcohol treatment centers are critical in the fight against drug- and alcohol-related crimes. When addicts get treatment for their addiction, the crimes they commit in order to feed that addiction become unnecessary.

So, a vote against Nirvana's presence is actually a vote for the continued drug-related crime that plagues Modesto and surrounding areas.

RICHARD URBAN

Waterford