Mind Springs Health’s new withdrawal management unit in Glenwood Springs has helped over 80 community members suffering from withdrawal since opening its doors in June. 

“Outside of the hospital, this is about the highest level of community care that can be provided,” Amy Cooper, Mind Springs Health chief operating officer, said. “We have a provider and nursing team who does the medical oversight and then a case management and therapy team, along with staff who are supporting the ins and outs of everyday care for the individuals who are coming in.” 

The nine-bed unit, 2802 South Grand Ave., Glenwood Springs, is an addition to the Western Slope nonprofit Mind Springs Health, which offers behavioral health services in Garfield, Eagle, Jackson, Mesa, Moffat, Pitkin, Rio Blanco, Routt, and Summit counties. Mind Springs also operates West Spring Psychiatric Hospital in Grand Junction. The nonprofit’s secure transport service, launched in August, provides travel between Garfield County hospitals, the Glenwood facility and West Springs Hospital.

---

---

On Monday, Mind Springs Health announced a new management agreement with Larkin Health System. Larkin is an integrated healthcare delivery system with locations in South Miami, Hialeah and Hollywood, Florida. Nicholas Torres, Larkin Community Hospital’s South Miami Campus CEO and University of Miami, School of Nursing and Health adjunct clinical faculty member, replaces John Sheehan as the Mind Springs Health interim CEO. 

Mind Springs Health was not acquired by Larkin, but that is an option both organizations are considering. Although it’s too early to tell how the management agreement will play out, a rebranding of Mind Springs is also a strong possibility. 

---

---

The agreement is a positive change for Mind Springs Health and the Glenwood Springs Withdrawal Management unit and will likely lead to additional staffing and resources, ultimately resulting in improved patient care. 

“One of the things I love about our new interim CEO is his first question wasn’t ‘Where can we cut?'” Judy Mendoza, Mind Springs Health vice president of marketing and communications said. “His first question was ‘How can we boost services in the moment?’ So he’s a glass half full type of person.”

Staff at the Glenwood facility help ease the withdrawal process for patients, who stay for around two to three days, with medications like Suboxone and methadone and therapeutic interventions, before pointing them to the next level of care. Around 75% of clients have insurance, with most on Medicaid. 

“We serve everyone from the unhoused to the well housed with a large family support network,” Program Coordinator Andre Gossweiler said. “These are people who are choosing not to go to the hospitals to go through their withdrawals. This is a place where they can really comfortably and very easily get managed service that is pinpointed for their needs. We’re happy to serve anyone and everyone that needs our help.”

Those receiving care at the withdrawal management unit often have a primary alcohol or amphetamine use disorder and a secondary substance use disorder that includes marijuana and sometimes opiates. Substances of choice reported by clients at admission were 14% meth, 4% opiates and 88% alcohol, though many were multi-substance withdrawals co-occurring with alcohol, according to Mendoza.

“We are seeing a little bit more intensity in the opiate use in that it’s primarily fentanyl,” Cooper said. “It’s not just standard opioids or over the counter medications. It is a lot of fentanyl. So that is something that we’re kind of paying attention to, and often requires a little bit more delicate touch when you’re looking at the withdrawals.”

Patients seen so far have been from up and down the Roaring Fork Valley, with the majority from Garfield County, as well as surrounding counties, including Pitkin. Although there have been a handful of repeat patients, nearly 80% of clients have engaged in follow-up services.

“Depending on where somebody’s at in terms of their substance use, duration can influence what sort of resources they have been locked out of, or are just becoming aware of if they’ve started the recovery journey already and are now coming back,” Cooper said. “These are things that can influence how we are distributing our ability to interact with patients. We really want to key in on the most effective things for each client, and that’s going to look different for everyone.”

The unit’s 2025 projected budget shows higher costs than revenue, an estimated shortfall due to patients who no longer qualify for Medicaid, according to information presented by Mind Springs Health to the Garfield Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 21. The facility has a plan to address the gap in funding, including reaching out to community partners and other entities for referrals and funding and increasing billing capacity by developing contracts with private insurances. 

The next year will provide clarity on the withdrawal unit’s community impact and whether it has reduced reliance on emergency medical services, law enforcement and hospitals.

“The holidays can often be a really difficult time, and it’s very normal socially to increase the amount of drinking, increase the amount of stress, potentially substance use,” Cooper said. “We know that not all families have the greatest relationships, and that time can either feel lonely or it can feel increasingly stressful.”

“We want to make sure people know that we’re here,” she added. “Whether it be through the withdrawal management program, through our crisis support, or through secure transportation and the ability to get folks to whatever level of care within our continuum that they’re needing.”