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Should long-term detox close? Photo by Bob Pennell The county's extended detoxification center provides four beds for men and two for women who need a place to sober up before entering treatment for alcohol or drug addiction. Health and Human Services plans to close the center, citing concerns over cost and its ability to spur clients into long-term treatment. Sober realities debated By JONEL ALECCIA Medford city and Jackson County officials clashed Thursday over plans to close a center that offers extended detoxification to some 250 alcoholics and drug addicts each year. Hank Collins, director of county Health and Human Services, said he plans to shut down in mid-February the program that provides addicts up to a week of free food and shelter. Collins cited concerns about the program's ability to spur clients into long-term treatment and said the move could save the budget-strapped county $130,000 a year. "Can we afford to continue to give three hots and a cot to people who are not going to do anything about their addiction?" Collins said. But Medford City Council member Bill Moore, former manager of a drug and alcohol treatment center, opposed the move, saying it hurts most those who can afford it least. "My response is that a lot of people, the street people, people who have dementia, people with long-term mental illness, people with late-stage alcoholism, are going to be out there without any resources at all," Moore said. Spurred by Moore, the City Council on Thursday unanimously agreed to send a resolution asking Jackson County Commissioners to postpone the closure until an alternative can be found. Moore was joined in opposition by state Sen. Lenn Hannon, R-Ashland. "I have strong feelings against closing it because of what I perceive as a shift in costs," said Hannon, who is a recovering alcoholic. "If a police officer picks up somebody who is intoxicated and uses a jail or hospital bed instead of a detox center bed, my concern is that it really does not save any money." Facing a $1.2 million to $1.8 million budget shortfall, county commissioners last week authorized Collins to close the center. Acting county administrator Susan Slack said commissioners were convinced that the cut was justified. "Not very many people are taking advantage of this," Slack said. "The purpose had been a midway point between sobering and going into a treatment facility. It's not serving the need of getting them into treatment." The center, which includes four beds for men and two for women, serves about 250 people a year, county figures show. One in three clients admitted leaves before treatment is complete, Collins said. Of those who stay, less than a third enter a treatment program after ending detox. Collins cited the work of addiction expert Thomas McLellan, who visited Southern Oregon last spring. "Research has shown that this one is crystal clear," Collins quoted McLellan as saying. "Detox by itself is money wasted." Additionally, more than half of the people served in the program come from outside Jackson County, Collins said. Jackson County has offered extended detox services since the early 1990s, even as other local counties -- including Klamath and Josephine -- cut similar programs, Collins said. The program includes 7.5 full-time employment positions; closure could mean cutting 3.5 posts, Collins said. The closure would not affect short-term services that offer a place to sober up for eight to 48 hours for some 1,750 people each year, said Collins. He said he believed the move would not increase admissions to the county jail. That elicited relief from area law enforcement personnel, even as they worried that line officers would be forced to deal more frequently with intoxicated people. "I'm happy that the sobering services will continue," said Medford police Lt. Tim George. "But my crystal ball is in the shop to say that it will have no future impact on the jail population." Alcoholics and drug addicts simply will turn up more often in hospital emergency rooms and in the short-stay sobriety unit, Moore said. His views were echoed by three men staying at the center on Thursday. The men, who asked to be identified only by their first names, said extended detoxification provides a vital service. "Without this, I probably would have died in a motel room," said Brian, 38, a Grants Pass man who was at the center for the second time in three years. Added Steve, 28, a Portland man whose Medford father brought him for treatment: "It's a safe environment to get well." He was joined by Mike, 47, of Gold Hill, who admitted himself to the program for the second time three days ago. "A lot of people I know have gotten clean after coming here," he said. "If this place goes away, they're going to stay out there and use instead of getting help." Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA