Agencies participating in the agreement are the cities of Boise, Eagle and Meridian; Ada County; and the State of Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. A joint powers agreement is required to establish the legal authority for the involved governmental agencies to partner on the project.
At a press conference in the Boise City Council Chambers, Boise Mayor David Bieter also announced the scheduled opening for the center, in January 2010, with groundbreaking to occur April 2009.
“With the signing of this agreement we are one vital step closer toward providing the Treasure Valley with this important facility,” Mayor Bieter said. “I’m gratified to see that in good times or in bad, we can still come together as a community to provide needed care to allow people to become productive members of our community.”
“More than 17,000 people in the valley struggle with at least one chemical addiction. Private medical providers currently turn away 335 people a month who voluntarily seek treatment due to lack of resources. This crisis center will help fill the gap, in turn yielding a cost savings to state and local governments at the same time,” said Ada County Commission Chairman Fred Tilman. Ada County Commissioner Paul Woods added, “The costs of not intervening early to prevent the incarceration of those with substance abuse and mental health issues is staggering. It is clear that providing assistance to non-incarcerated, low-income individuals is a benefit to the communities this crisis center will serve.”
“Recent data indicate 85% of our prison population deals with substance abuse problems that make it more likely they will be re-arrested when released,” Eagle Mayor Phil Bandy said. “This facility will provide a much-needed opportunity for individuals with substance abuse problems to seek the assistance they need to address their underlying mental and/or physical issues. It is my hope this facility will not only
assist those with substance abuse issues but will essentially pay for itself by reducing the social impacts of substance abuse and the costs incarceration and recidivism.”
“This is an area where we all have a vested interest as it impacts our families, businesses, and communities on a daily basis,” Meridian Mayor Tammy de Weerd said. “This center is a place where a person can turn, which has only been made possible because we have crossed jurisdictional lines and accepted joint responsibility to make it happen.”
“When Idaho citizens are in crisis, our community must respond effectively and efficiently,” said Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Richard Armstrong. “This facility allows a unified and consistent response, without jurisdictional barriers interfering with treatment. We are one team with this project, and hope to build on these relationships in the future.”
The 9,200-square-foot facility, which will be operated by a specially qualified third-party medical provider, will extend emergency sobering services, detoxification services, and mental health crisis services to Treasure Valley residents in need. The facility will provide a sobering station, 12 beds for detoxification and eight beds for mental health crisis. Construction cost of the facility is estimated at $2.7 million, with an annual operating budget of $1.8 million. The facility will be owned and maintained by the Boise City/Ada County Housing Authority.
Other funding partners include United Way of Treasure Valley, Region IV Mental Health Board, the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, Boise City/Ada County Housing Authority, Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center, and the Community Detox Coalition. Additional construction funding was provided through federal funds brought home by Idaho’s Congressional Delegation.
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