James is wiry, intense, opinionated. He is open about being a recovering drug addict; in fact, he is proud of having turned his life around after spending years in the grip of heroin. He credits his deep faith, and friends’ support.

And as a man who says he has suffered serious harm at the hands of his health care provider, James feels strongly that the leadership of Roxbury Comprehensive Community Health Center made the right call last week when they decided to give up their license to care for methadone patients.