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Assistance for an addiction, not punishment

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Traveling the road from what may be an exposure death caused by an overuse of alcohol to the NCI-run Detox and Treatment Center stirs up a lot of memories from 60 years in Gallup.

Once the journey is complete, however, it is uplifting to realize the gains that have been made in my adopted city and area, especially in the work, knowledge, compassion, and continuing efforts of a small group of people handling a very bad situation on a daily basis.

Dr. Kevin Foley is the ultimate leader of this band of persistent caregivers, directing his 38 employees in two distinct areas – detox and long term treatment – in an effort to combat the alcohol addictions that often threatens the existence of Gallup and nearby environs.

A walk-through of the renovated facilities at what had been NCI and then Gallup Detox Center before coming under the control of NCI on Oct. 2, allows the print media a much closer look at what it takes, and will continue to take, to be successful in this arena.

Foley explained the treatment procedure in the converted building at the Fuhs Industrial Park, where NCI had been forced to move when the city and Navajo Nation took over the detox facility on Boyd Avenue.

This is a 60-day treatment program, and can be expanded to 90-days if necessary, with beds for 25 that will allow their clients to do more than just “dry out” and will help them either go home or move into CARE 66 housing facilities.

“It’s rare for them to return to NCI once they have finished our program,” Foley said, plainly and quietly. “From 2007-2013 we had 438 graduates and after six months – which is the standard time set for follow-up – 85 percent were still sober. That compares to a national rate of about 45 percent.”

NCI has lived up to its motto, “A Bridge to Recovery” quite well, it seems.

The bridge starts at the Detox Center, though, where Protective Custody vans as well  as privately owned vehicles bring in a daily stream of victims for assistance and cleansing of their physical bodies from the abuses of alcohol.

“We don’t drag them out of the vans like we have been accused of,” said Kevin Billy, the Detox Manager and eight-year veteran of the alcohol war. “They must be able to walk on their own and be able to talk to be admitted. The alternative is the hospital to thwart the possibility of alcohol poisoning and the dangers it brings. We offer assistance, not punishment, though we have been accused of it.”

The intake process includes getting the names and dates of birth and determining the blood alcohol content (BAC), either through a hand-held instrument or a more accurate state certified machine. All are then put in rooms that allow for rest and sleep, and shower and laundry facilities are available.

Once in the system, all are required to spend 12-72 hours in the facility, depending on their BAC and other factors. Release is granted only during daylight hours once the time period has been observed and the BAC is down to 0.00. Repeat offenders – three or more within a one month period – are held for 72 hours, and if the person is combative or aggressive, they can be locked into isolation cells away from the others. The Detox Center has 150 beds in this program, segregated by gender, to accomplish this process.

There is also a shelter at the Detox Center for the use of homeless people that are not intoxicated but need a place to sleep where they will not be attacked or molested.

“We offer treatment to all, but not all take it,” Foley said. “Sometimes they are court-ordered into the treatment process, voluntarily or not, and that sometimes works.”

There are no security guards at either facility, but there are monitored cameras that keep an eye on all the constant activity, including the cafeteria, day room, intake, and holding areas, and a CNA to handle minor medical problems.

“It’s a new opportunity for the city to provide services to those in need,” said Rick Snider, who was there to provide updates on the Facility Improvements of the City of Gallup. These improvements include rubberized flooring in the intake area – provided by the Navajo Nation before they backed off – a new HVAC system, sprinklers, roof inspection, and showers, which are still in progress in some areas, as well as better emergency lighting.

It is not the final answer to the problem. It is only a start at the Detox Center, getting clean and sober, and even more work is required at the treatment center, and beyond, for a recovery that is marked in mere days, one at a time.