Brandon Clinic One of Seven Closed in ‘Operation Pain Reliever'

It’s not over yet, even as the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office reported the latest developments in Operation Pain Reliever, which saw the closing of seven clinics found to be illegally dispensing pain medications.

One of the seven clinics hailed from Brandon: Sunstate Medical, at 601 W. Robertson St.

Also closed in Eastern Hillsborough County: Plant City Poly Clinic, at 404 Alexander St.

The remaining clinics were closed in Tampa: J.W. Wellness, at 2630 West Waters Ave.; NBC Medical Center, at 7402 N. 56th St.; Tampa Total Health, at 3824 West Sligh Ave.; and 1st Medical Group, at 7200 Sheldon Road.

The clinics were closed by the sheriff’s office, the Florida Department of Health, Hillsborough County Consumer Protection and Hillsborough Code Enforcement.

The closures stemmed from a July 2010 “Pain Management Ordinance” that the Hillsborough County Commissioners passed to address what has been called a pain pill epidemic.

“Sheriff’s office deputies continue to target the illegal pain pill market in the county,” according to the sheriff’s report. “The sheriff’s office is concentarting on the illegal pain pill market to reduce the number of fatal overdoses occurring in the Tampa Bay area by pushing for enhanced legislation to regulate pain clinics to aggressive enforcement, such as Operation Pain Reliever.”

As part of that operation, on charges ranging from trafficking in controlled substances to doctor shopping.