St. Cloud, Minn.-based Central Minnesota Mental Health Center will end its withdrawal management program on Jan. 1, eliminating about 25 positions, according to a Yahoo News report from Oct. 6.
The program serves an average of eight people per day and operates at more than a $980,000 loss in 2024, according to the center. The Minnesota Department of Human Services estimates 9,400 adults in Stearns County need treatment for substance use disorder, along with 1,900 people in Benton County and 4,200 in Sherburne County, the report said.
“We wish those using withdrawal management services didn’t have to explore other means of care, but we owe it to the community to reallocate resources to other services that desperately need them,” Jessica Brandon, CEO at CMMHC, said.
CMMHC reported a 30% occupancy increase at its residential crisis program and plans to expand its crisis services in 2026, using space vacated by the withdrawal program, according to the report.
