Polk County’s first ever sobering center has received a $750,000 investment from the federal government as construction continues with the aim to open this fall.
The facility, called the Polk County Life Services Center, will also house a psychiatric urgent care facility and provide crisis intervention services for people experiencing mental health emergencies.
U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn secured the $750,000 in federal funding through the Community Project Funding process, which allows members of Congress to designate funding priorities as part of the federal budget.
“This community-based resource right here in the heart of Des Moines is a way to divert intoxicated individuals, and those experiencing a mental health crisis oftentimes related to dependency, away from going to jail or to an emergency room and to get the help they need,” Nunn said Monday at a news conference with officials from Polk County and Des Moines.
Nunn said putting somebody through the jail system and into prison can cost thousands of dollars.
“But to get them into a sobriety program or rehab program, we’re talking as little as $13 a day to help change a life,” he said. “And not only does that help that family, that parent, those kiddos, it also has an impact on what we can do for our communities right here with the dollars that we invest in meaningful ways.”
The facility, at 1914 Carpenter Ave. in Des Moines, will house a five-bed sobering center, a behavioral health urgent care facility open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and a crisis observation center for people experiencing a mental health crisis.
The sobering center is new, while the urgent care and crisis observation services will be moved from existing facilities at Broadlawns Medical Center, and will double in size.
The center will be managed by the nonprofit St. Vincent De Paul, and Broadlawns staff will operate the urgent care and crisis observation center. The staff assigned to the sobering center will be trained EMTs and paramedics, said Polk County Behavioral Health & Disability Services CEO Annie Uetz.
Angela Connolly, chair of the Polk County Board of Supervisors, said she hopes those who use the facility’s sobering center will also take advantage of the center’s other services so they can be connected with long-term treatment and recovery options.
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“We know this doesn’t happen overnight, but we hope that maybe the second or the third, or maybe it’s the 20th time when they come and visit this site, they’ll finally decide that they’re ready to get the help that they need,” she said. “And our partners, St. Vincent De Paul and Broadlawns, are going to make that happen.”
Des Moines Mayor Connie Boesen said the city has agreed to fund half the annual cost of the sobering center, calling it a critical investment that will help keep people with mental health and substance use issues out of jails and emergency rooms.
“Our law enforcement, it’ll be such a great benefit to them to be able to take people here instead of to the jail so that they are not getting the life-changing things that go on with being jailed,” Boesen said. “They need help, not jail time.”
The facility has received pushback from some neighbors, who say they were not consulted on its location and worry about the effect the center will have on the neighborhood.
Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.