COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — On a windy, chilly Wednesday afternoon, Marie Adams held a sign outside Kootenai Health that read “Clean and Sober for 8 Years.”
She explained that in January 2014, she was admitted to the chemical dependency unit at the hospital. Later, she continued treatment in the outpatient psychiatry program.
“I didn't realize at the time that was going to save my life,” she said.
Today, Adams said she is a mom, business owner, homeowner, active in the community and a “productive member of society because of Kootenai Health,” as reported by our news partner, The Coeur d'Alene Press.
“Because of the resources that I was able to receive, I recovered,” she said. “I want other people to have access to the resources that I did.”
This is what prompted Adams to join about 75 others to protest Kootenai Health's recently announced plans to close its inpatient addiction recovery program and outpatient psychiatry practice.
The crowd was a mix of recovered addicts, community members and hospital staff as they spent more than an hour sharing their concerns with passersby at the intersection of U.S. 95 and Ironwood Drive.
Some held signs that read, “Addiction is a disease,” “Stop letting us die,” “Mental Health Matters,” and “I have a mom because of KBH.”
A few drivers honked horns in response, and protesters shouted and waved back.
Sena Chapman held a sign high that read “We Recover Loudly,” while her son, Liam, held a sign that read, “Sober Mom.”
She, too, said Kootenai Health’s inpatient addiction recovery program helped her find a new life.
“We need to keep this service going,” Chapman said. “Coeur d’Alene needs something like this. I have sobriety and I want other people to have it too.”
One Kootenai Health employee who declined to give a name called the pending program closure a tragedy.
“It already is a crisis. There's going to be absolutely no resources for anybody in the community and the emergency rooms are going to be overflowing,” the employee said.
The Press reported the closures in a front page story on May 14.
In a written statement, Kootenai Health said recent loss of staffing and chronic underfunding of behavioral health programs have made its addiction recovery program unsustainable in its current form.
“Kootenai Health has a long history of supporting behavioral health services and we are working to find ways to continue providing care in the areas of greatest need," said the statement.
It went on to say that Kootenai Health needs additional funding to stabilize the addiction recovery program as well as other behavioral health services.
“We are hopeful we can find some creative and sustainable solutions through the State of Idaho,” it said.
The state has announced it will receive $119 million in the national opioid settlement with Johnson & Johnson.
Kootenai Health said, “These funds will go to counties, public health districts and the legislature for distribution. It is unknown how much, if any, of these funds will be available to Kootenai Health.”
Kootenai Health has stopped accepting new addiction recovery patients. Current patients will be able to complete their program.
The physical outpatient psychiatry practice is expected to close by July 1.
Employees in the affected departments will reportedly have the opportunity to work in another area of Kootenai Health, which has about 750 job openings.
Chris Wright, an addiction counselor since 2006, offered what he believed could be a solution.
During the protest, he distributed an outline of a plan for treating addiction recovery that he said he and others put together about 10 years ago.
It didn’t become reality then, but in light of the recent Kootenai Health announcement, Wright said they are in the initial stages of developing it again, filing for nonprofit status and putting it back into the community.
Wright said it is an individualized, 30-day residential recovery program focused on a 12-step model that incorporates biological, psychological, social and spiritual aspects.
He said they came up with "the most affordable fee schedule to date."
“We are putting something together that meets the needs of everybody based upon where they are at,” he said.
Jessica Bonar joined the protest. She said she is a member of the recovery community.
“We all had a passionate response about the idea of the behavioral health center and addiction recovery center closing,” she said. “We want to bring that passion and turn it into powerful conversations so that we can find solutions. This isn't an us or them. This isn't us versus them. It can't be. We're a community hospital. This is our community. And we need to come together and find a solution so that we aren't closing this facility.”
Adams hopes that happens.
She said there are signs people are struggling. She said suicides, addictions and incarcerations are rising in Idaho, and many high school students report feeling sad or hopeless.
“We're at a point where we are struggling and we are failing when it comes to mental health," she said. "And we need to be opening more treatment options, not closing them.”
In the statement, Kootenai Health said it “agrees with those who are upset about the closure of this program.
“However, the current model of funding with the current model of services is simply unsustainable. We look forward to the opportunity to seek creative solutions on a state and federal level with the support of all who care about these programs.”
The Coeur d'Alene Press is a KREM 2 News partner. For more news from our partners, click here.