Counties Mandated to Provide Detox Services

Recently the Nicollet County Board was updated on the Detox services provided by the Brown County Evaluation Center. The county contracts with Brown County Eval and the statistics for last year (2006) show 192 individuals were sent to the center either officially or on a voluntary basis. The clients are sent to the center in three ways: voluntary, law enforcement, or by a physician.

Detox centers around the state have been closing – especially the hospital detox centers. The Brown County Evaluation center is licensed by the Department of Human Services and by the Department of Health. The center contracts with eleven counties to provide services. They have 16 beds and they charge $245 per day to the contract counties and $310 a day to the non-contract counties. This is the lowest priced detox in the state. The center bills the placing county and then that county bills the home county of the client. The center provides transportation from the placing counties to the Brown County site.

Once a client is admitted, the longest they can be held is 72 hours and they try to get them out in 48 hours. The treatment is intense the first 24 hours and vital signs are closely monitored. A chemical use assessment is done and the clients meet with a councilor. However, this is voluntary and clients can refuse. Most of them do cooperate. Referrals are made for further care and this is arranged for them.
Alcohol withdrawal is the most dangerous drug to come off of. The process is life threatening. Withdrawal produces an agitated state and people become anxious and this can lead to heart attacks. Withdrawing from alcohol produces just the opposite of consuming alcohol. Consumption has a sedative effect. The detox center hardly ever sees anyone admitted who is under .20 blood alcohol concentration. At .40 most people die, but they are seeing people being admitted with concentrations this high. People are now drinking mouthwash and sniffing paint. The Brown County Evaluation Center prides itself as being a treatment center not a punitive facility. The detox centers are an important part of the Chemical Dependency Continuum of Care. end