Pitkin County withdrawal management program reports 140 admits in 2023, seeks expansion to add longer treatment

Janelle, a withdrawal‑management program representative, told the Pitkin County Board of Health on April 11 that the county’s licensed detox program admitted about 140 people in 2023 and is seeking funding and space to expand from a short‑term detox service into a longer stay treatment facility.

The program operates in a four‑bed unit inside the county Health and Human Services building, Janelle said. Admissions are clinical: clients complete vitals, consent and grievance paperwork, infectious disease screening and a master treatment plan at intake. Staff use a breathalyzer and an on‑site rapid urine panel (15‑ or 18‑panel) to identify substances, she said. ‘‘When we admit someone, if we can admit that person between the hours of 08:30 and 4, Monday through Saturday, Front Range Clinic does a telehealth psychiatric evaluation and prescribes medications as appropriate,’’ Janelle said.

Why it matters: the program is one of only a few local options for people in acute withdrawal and aims to keep clients out of the emergency department while linking them to continuing care.

Program capacity and referrals The facility has four licensed beds (two rooms for men, two for women), and Janelle said staff admitted roughly 140 people during 2023 — below the projected 180 capacity, in part because some people decline admission. She gave monthly…