Drug Treatment Center Proposed for County
By Cathy Patton
WELCH - The ongoing battle to eradicate illegal drugs in McDowell County entered another phase Thursday as officials from several local and state agencies gathered at Southern Highlands Community Mental Health Clinic (SHCMHC) to discuss details of how to best implement a local drug treatment center.
Those present included County Commission President Gordon Lambert, EDA Director Rachel Lester, Welch Community Hospital Administrator Walt Garrett, Christy Lester, FACES; Helen Smith, R.N, McDowell Health Dept., Judy Akers, Director of Southern Highlands; Tug River Health Clinic Director Tim Crofton; Michael Lewis SHCMHC Welch Center Director; Tina Borich, Director of Outpatient Services, Princeton SHCMHC; Steve Mason, Director, Division of Drug and Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Dept. of Health and Human Resources; Merritt Moore, DHHR, Division of Drug and Alcohol Abuse; and Rose Lockhart, LEGENDS Program Coordinator, Princeton.
FACES Dream Team Coordinator Christy Lester, noted that the thrust for the drug treatment center began three years ago when FACES traveled to Capitol Hill to present a position paper and to request assistance in implementing such a facility.
No funding for the center was available at the time, but Lester said FACES persisted in their effort and added additional partners to assist them.
Meanwhile, others, including retired coalminer Ron Bailey, have worked unknown to each other behind the scenes.
Bailey, Lester and Commissioner Lambert linked recently with Gov. Manchin's Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Martin, who expressed the governor's support for the project. Martin advised the group to put together a list of the costs and submit them to him. The meeting with Martin led to Thursday's meeting in which state and local officials brainstormed about how to best implement a local drug treatment center.
The group agreed that the next step is to locate a suitable building/large home to house the drug treatment center. Anyone willing to donate/sale such a structure is advised to contact Christy Lester at 436-5255, or the County Commission at 435-8548.
Contrary to what many perceive, Steve Mason, Director of the Drugs and Alcohol Abuse Division, DHHR, explained that alcohol is the number one abused drug in the state. Prescription drug abuse is higher in the southern coalfields, he said.
The recovery rate for those who utilize drug treatment centers is four out of 10. Addicts can and do get better, he said.
According to Mason, a drug treatment center must have a continuum of care and include step-down components, such as a half-way house. Community support is also vital to its success, he said.
Extensive fire marshall regulations, Mason said, sometimes make it more costly to renovate a structure than build one.
Because of Medicaid requirements and therapeutic interactions, drug treatment centers must be limited to 12 beds. Typically, the centers have 10 beds and are long-term.
“Ninety days is what we utilize for engaging someone in treatment,” Mason said.
If Medicaid can be convinced to pay, stays can be longer, he added.
Because they generally have some form of health insurance, it is usually less expensive to operate a center for females, Mason said.
Southern Highlands Community Mental Health Care Director Judy Akers added that Southern Highlands is willing to run a local drug treatment facility, if Master's level therapists can be found. A nation-wide shortage of such professionals makes recruiting them difficult, she said.
Akers related that she has all the specs, should it become necessary to build a center rather than renovating a structure.
The outpatient part of the treatment center should be separate from the residential program, she stressed.
“In commenting on the proposal, Commissioner Carl Urps noted that a drug treatment center is one part of the Commission's anti-drug strategy.
“Our message is that we will no longer tolerate illegal drugs in McDowell County ,” Urps said. “We will utilize all of our resources to close the drug dealers down or to run them out of the county.
“A treatment center is a necessary part of the plan. It will provide an option for the addicts who are sincerely striving to recover.”
