A new sobering center is opening up in Des Moines. Here's what you need to know
Polk County leaders are calling a new sobering center in Des Moines a "safe place" for people seeking support and treatment for alcoholism and other types of services.
With plans to open next summer, the Polk County Board of Supervisors seeks to renovate a vacant building at 1914 Carpenter Ave. that will house the sobering center, a walk-in mental health clinic and crisis observation center. County supervisors and staff from the nonprofit St. Vincent de Paul of Des Moines and Broadlawns Medical Center hope to convert the roughly 15,0000-square-foot space on the city's west side into a "one-stop-shop" resource center.
Polk County Supervisor Angela Connolly said the board will spend the next few months discussing the design of the space with their partners and meeting with architects before going to bid.
"We've been planning this for a long time, and I always said this is the last piece for us to help the community," said Connolly about the sobering center. "These folks that are suffering from alcoholism or substance abuse really have nowhere to go. They're out on the street."
Broadlawns plans to move its walk-in mental health clinic and crisis observation center from the Broadlawns hospital on 1801 Hickman Road into the building on Carpenter Avenue. DawnMarie Hooker, nurse manager of crisis services at Broadlawns, said she's excited for the collaboration and to expand the medical center's services, offering more exam rooms for potential clients.
Iowa ranks second in the nation in excessive drinking, according to a report released last October by the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy. State officials said nearly 23% of Iowa's adults reported binge drinking — having four to five drinks in one sitting — or heavy drinking, which ranges between eight to 15 drinks in one week.
Connolly said she and other board supervisors were inspired to bring a sobering center, or "access center," to Polk County after visiting one in San Antonio years ago. They became even more motivated after seeing one open up closer to home in Iowa City in 2021.
For the past two years, Connolly said the board searched for a spot for the sobering center and eventually found the building at 1914 Carpenter Ave. The building, which long ago operated as a grocery store and later a disco club, sits across the street from the Polk County Health Department. Connolly said it will be easy for people to travel to the center because it's located on a bus line and close to the highway.
Access centers are seen as a way to divert an intoxicated person or someone experiencing mental health issues from going to jail or an emergency room and direct them to the help they need. There are close to 40 sobering centers in the U.S., according to the California Health Care Foundation.
Recovering from substance abuse is a journey, and spending a night or two in jail or in the hospital are both costly and ineffective measures, Connolly said.
The sobering center can be a guide for someone who wants to start — or restart — their recovery.
"When you go to the sobering center, it might not be the first time, might not be the second time that you're going to get treated," Connolly said. "It might be the 35th time that you decide 'Enough is enough. I'm going to try to get help,' and we will have people there that will direct these folks and try to go get help."
Steve Havemann, executive director of St. Vincent de Paul of Des Moines, shared Connolly's sentiments and added that he and his staff look forward to working closely with clients grappling with alcohol abuse and helping them take the next step in their lives.
"Our goal is to engage (with) people long-term," Havemann said. "We just don't want to work with people for a day and say 'good luck.' Our goal is to work with people for three to six to nine months to a year to help them turn the curve because we know change and success don't happen overnight."
F. Amanda Tugade covers social justice issues for the Des Moines Register. Email her at ftugade@dmreg.com or follow her on Twitter @writefelissa.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Center focusing on substance abuse treatment to open in Des Moines
