Detox Center Buildings Set To Arrive In Holbrook Next Week

By Tammy Gray-Searles
   The foundation is curing and the modular buildings are scheduled to arrive early next week for the Holbrook detoxification facility, which must be complete and open to clients by May 30.
   Northern Arizona Regional Behavioral Health Authority (NARBHA) Business Manager James Steinshouer, who is coordinating construction, explained that the buildings are tentatively scheduled to arrive in Holbrook on March 24, depending on the weather. Once the modular units arrive they will need to be joined together, leveled and a skirting placed around the perimeter before exterior work, such as stucco application, can begin. Utilities will also need to be connected and the interior finished before the facility is inspected as part of the licensing process.
   According to Steinshouer, furnishings for the facility, such as beds and mattresses, are nearly ready and can be moved in as soon as construction is complete. Clients of the Bread of Life Mission in Holbrook are building the beds for both the Winslow and Holbrook detoxification centers. Steinshouer noted that the beds for the Winslow facility are already built and the ones for the Holbrook facility are nearly finished.
   Construction on the Winslow site is nearly complete, with installation of flooring the only major unfinished component.
   The Holbrook facility was delayed due to issues in transferring the title of the property from Northland Pioneer College to the City of Holbrook and then on to NARBHA. The Holbrook center is being located on the southeast corner of the former community college campus on East Hermosa Drive.
   As of press time, the ribbon foundation had been poured and piles of dirt from the digging of the foundation were being removed to make room for arrival of the buildings. The stucco materials were already on site, and arrangements were being made for installation of utilities, including water, sewer and electricity.
   Steinshouer noted that one major advantage of the location chosen for the center is that utility lines are already in place right up to the edge of the construction site, making it simple to connect to the building.
   Repairs to the existing parking area, as well as landscaping, will also be completed as part of the construction project. The facility will also eventually include Native American healing facilities, such as a sweat lodge and ceremonial hogan. Treatment providers may also use some of the property to grow crops, such as corn, that the clients of the facility will be responsible for tending.
   The center will have 16 beds, and will offer treatment for all types of drug and alcohol addiction. City officials are hopeful that it will be a first step in reducing the number of street inebriates.
   Clients of the facility will have the opportunity to utilize the services of the Bread of Life Mission once they leave the detoxification center. The mission was awarded grant funding to expand its services to serve as a “step-down” facility for detoxification center clients.
   Construction of both the Holbrook and Winslow detoxification facilities is being funded through a state grant. Operation of the Holbrook facility will be funded by a combination of reimbursements from Medicare programs, NARBHA and the Navajo Nation.
   Under the terms of the state grant for construction, the facilities must be operational by May 30. According to NARBHA representative Rivers Carpenter, construction needs to be completed quickly so that state licensing requirements can be met before the opening date. She previously explained that the licensing process can take anywhere from several weeks to several months, and an application cannot be submitted until construction is complete.