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PUBLIC SAFETY Grants Pass will open its first sobering center next month By Jules Rogers of the Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Jules Rogers of the Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Jan. 17, 2016 @ 12:01 am By Jules Rogers of the Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Jan. 17, 2016 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> In downtown Grants Pass, it's not uncommon to see someone passed out in an alley or in a doorway, seeking shelter under an awning. Business owners have no choice but to call the police. However, soon the police will have a choice: Rather than taking intoxicated people to the Josephine County Jail, where they will be set free after they sober up, police soon will be able to send them to the Grants Pass Sobering Center. "Police haven't really been able to do anything because there's no jail space and (intoxicated people) haven't committed a crime — it's not illegal to be drunk in Oregon," said Rick Jones, chairman of the Sobering Center board and executive director of Choices Counseling Center, which provides drug and alcohol rehabilitation services. "They're at a loss of where to take them if they're not sick enough for the hospital." The effort to establish the center has been ongoing for about three years. Remodeling work at a former recycling center on Foundry Street began in October, and the facility is expected to be open by the end of the month. Intended as an alternative to jail and full-range treatment centers, the Sobering Center is the brainchild of a group of civic leaders who first had to get permission from the 2014 Oregon Legislature to build one. A new law approved by the Legislature expanded the use of sobering facilities across the state and authorized $500,000 in startup funding for the Grants Pass facility as part of the Addictions and Mental Health program budget. "We take care of them until they're sobered up and come down from whatever drug they're on," said Pat Murphey, director of the Grants Pass Sobering Center. "For those who are suffering from the disease of addiction, we help them find a way to alleviate that." The 4,700-square-foot facility, formerly owned by the Grants Pass Gospel Rescue Mission, will allow those under the influence to be held for 24 hours. Proponents, including police Chief Bill Landis, believe the facility will free up jail space for serious offenders and cut down on visits to the emergency room. The 12 cinder-block sobering units are 10 feet high and about 48 square feet inside with room for a cot and a toilet. Each door has a window for staff to monitor clients' health every 15 minutes, and a slot for food and water — when appropriate, not three meals a day — to help a person sober up. The center has offices where staff will assess intoxication levels and mental health, offer on-site meetings with trained addictions professionals and organize outside meetings for clients with the five drug programs in Josephine County. "More important are services for those who we can help to change the way they live and to come out of their addiction," Murphey said. "They stop being a negative impact on the community and start being a positive one." People sobering up are released when their blood-alcohol level drops to .05 percent. If they come in with a mental health request or officials believe they are a danger to themselves, the sobering center staff will contact a crisis team that will evaluate whether they're safe to be released or need further care. The facility is not a detox or treatment center, although people there will be advised on treatment options. "Alcohol is one of the few things you can die from being without, going through withdrawals," Murphey said. "It's important in those cases to be able to make that referral to get that service connected with that person; their other option is to go get another drink." The center is estimated to cost between $250,000 and $300,000 to operate annually. The budget so far is from a mix of grant funding and private donations. The eight staff members will undergo safety training before the center opens, including learning how to read vital signs and assess intoxication levels. "The people in the sobering center are safe and the people in the community are safe from the people who are drunk," Jones said. "It'll be a better community because of it." By Jules Rogers of the Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Jules Rogers of the Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted Jan. 17, 2016 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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