Lisa Trigg
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
The closing of a residential drug treatment facility because of a $400,000 deficit has caused concern among Vigo County officials who rely on the program as an alternative to incarceration.
Hamilton Center Inc. has announced the closing of its seven-bed residential addiction treatment facility in Terre Haute, effective July 23. The facility has provided recovery services for men age 18 and older since 2005, and many of the people in the program were assigned there through a Vigo County court.
The implications of the facility’s closure has sent a shockwave through the local justice system.
Judge Michael Lewis of Vigo Superior Court 6 told the Tribune-Star that the 28-day program has been an essential tool for the courts to use in getting addictions help for defendants.
“Keeping them involved in some type of rehab keeps them off of drugs,” Lewis said. “I’m not sure about the success rate, but I know if it helps even a few to turn their lives around, then it’s worth it. If we can save even one life, it’s a good thing.”
A majority of the inmates in the Vigo County jail have some type of drug or alcohol addiction. Often, those inmates are not released from the jail until they have had some time to detox, making them better candidates to successfully complete a treatment program.
“Any incentive we can give these people to stay away from drugs, stay away from alcohol, we utilize. And that’s another one that’s gone now,” Lewis said, noting that the Fellowship House sober living environment closed its doors in April because of cash flow issues. The Hamilton Center closure leaves Freebirds Solutions Center, Club Soda and Club Gobi as the only sober living environments available in Vigo County, Lewis said.
Defense attorney Christopher Shema said the loss of the 28-day program is unfortunate for people who are not capable of getting help on their own and who need a drug-free environment. He predicted it will add to the county’s jail overcrowding and budget problems.
“The most expensive thing to do for someone is to incarcerate them,” Shema said. “If you can put someone in a residential treatment program or a halfway house where they can get the help they need, at a much lower cost than incarceration, everyone wins.”
Shema said many of his indigent court-assigned clients benefit from drug and alcohol treatment programs, and if they do not have treatment options other than being warehoused in jail, they are more likely to be re-arrested for other crimes in the future.
“It’s like having a toolbox with only a hammer, and sometimes a screwdriver or pliers is the more efficient tool,” Shema said.
Sheriff Jon Marvel agrees that the closing of the Hamilton Center program is unfortunate for the community.
“Even though it’s only seven beds,” Marvel said, “those seven beds are [freed up] every 28 days, so seven a month are basically getting out of jail into treatment.”
Moving nonviolent inmates into drug treatment programs is not only more cost-efficient, he said, but it means a person is less likely to commit future crimes because of a drug addiction. Many inmates convicted of residential burglary or theft committed those crimes in order to get money to buy drugs.
The county jail has an ongoing overcrowding issue and currently exceeds the maximum cap of 268 set by an agreement with the Indiana Civil Liberties Union following a 2000 lawsuit. But even if the jail were built to have a 500-inmate capacity, Marvel said, it could still be full because of drug-related crime in the community.
Lewis said he and other county judges found out Friday about the program’s closure.
So what’s the court system to do now to deal with the loss of services?
“I don’t know,” Lewis said. “It’s unknown. Other than sending them to the county’s alcohol and drug program.”
The closing of the addictions residential facility was announced last week with the regrets of Hamilton Center CEO Galen Goode.
“Unfortunately, our addictions residential facility operates at a $400,000 deficit, so we had to make a tough decision to maintain services through our much larger outpatient programs than residential,” Goode said in a media release. “It is a very difficult decision because the residential program shows great clinical outcomes. We will continue working with other community agencies to find access to residential facilities for those suffering from addictions.”
While the county does budget some taxpayer dollars for Hamilton Center, a dedicated funding source did not exist for the 28-day program. Until recently, Hamilton Center was able to support the program through excess revenue from other areas.
In fiscal year 2009, the addictions residential facility served 117 clients, while Vigo County Addiction Services, which will continue to provide intensive outpatient services, served 1,292 clients.
July 23 is the last day for the 28-day program in order to ensure treatment completion for those currently enrolled.
“We will continue to work with those clients on an outpatient basis as necessary,” said Dr. Cynthia Sartor, executive director of Client Support Services. “Our dedicated staff at the addictions residential facility are passionate about what they do. As they have throughout the program, they will ensure that those who remain will have the appropriate community supports in place upon completion,” Sartor said.
Lisa Trigg can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or lisa.trigg@tribstar.com.
