The city of Rifle has agreed to sign on to the social setting withdrawal management facility run by Mind Springs Health. 

“It’s something the county does not have currently, and it’s something that the county needs to provide our citizens with this service and Mind Springs has the capacity to provide that service,” Rifle City Manager Tommy Klein said.

Council Member Clint Hostettler motioned and council voted unanimously to approve the agreement. 

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The withdrawal facility will be located in Glenwood Springs and will require the support of many entities in the region to run successfully. 

“This is not a quote, drunk tank, this is a place where people will obtain treatment,” Klien said. “(It’s) residential treatment on the short-term, and that they can also return for recurring treatment and counseling.”

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It is also planned that they will be working with local hospitals and the facility will be able to direct patients to additional resources in the community for long-term treatment. 

The agreement is between local hospitals and other municipalities in the county to support the social setting withdrawal management facilities which is set to be operated by Mind Springs Health.

“The contracts have been redone since then for us to have a little bit of oversight and make sure that we’re not just throwing tax dollars away,” Hostettler said. 

Glenwood Springs, Silt, Parachute and Garfield County have so far all signed the agreement.

“The town of Carbondale has it on their agenda for consideration,” Klein said. “New Castle, Valley View Hospital, Grand River Hospital District have yet to sign on to the agreement, but I expect that they will.

“I don’t see that they will not agree to the agreement.”

Each entity will be supporting the facility with different amounts. Carbondale is pledging $10,000 for the year 2023, Klein said. Glenwood Springs is up to $100,000 for 2023, while Newcastle pledged $10,000, Silt $2,000 and Garfield County up to $100,000.

“We’ve talked about supplying $40,000 for 2023 operations, and that is in our budget for 2023,” Klein said. 

Hostettler was chosen as Rifle’s representative on the facility board. There will be a chosen representative from each entity that will be giving oversight for Mind Springs, and they will decide the amount of funding they will provide to the facility in 2024, Klein explained.

“That board will figure out how much money Mind Springs will need to operate (the facility) in 2024 and then they will also come to some sort of agreement determining how much money each entity would pay to operate for 2024,” he said. “It is the staff’s recommendation that we sign the agreement.”

Rifle will have the option of opting out 90 days before the first of each year. The city will have the option to opt out if there is any reason they do not like how the facility is being run.