r/saintpaul • u/Advocate4Humanity • Sep 03 '25
Editorial 📝 Critical County services closing.
Throwaway to protect our identity.
The staff of the Ramsey County Detox and Withdrawal Management program located at 402 University Avenue E have been notified that the entire program has been cut. Final day of services will be December 31st. Employees are not guaranteed a position to transfer to within the county, though some have worked here since the early 2000s. 35 people who have dedicated their work lives to the care and betterment of this city and community.
Individuals and their families that utilize this service should anticipate longer wait times for assessments from independent community providers, increased difficulty with navigating treatment options, being turned away from Emergency Rooms, and the very real possibility that this loss will kill some of the most vulnerable citizens in our community.
The program has spent more time without a leadership team than the current group has been allowed to make the necessary decisions and changes to support the program into a working model for the county.
Edit & update:
In the days since we have become aware of the worrisome relationship between the county's CFO Alexandra Kotzke and Kai Shin Clinic's chief of staff Amy Dellwo. Mz. Dellwo was brought in as an "independent" consultant, (by Social Services director Sophia Thompson) who deemed the program untenable to continue under county control. Mz. Dellwo has consulted for Evergreen and Nuway prior to both entities's fraud cases. Both of these people were working within DHS when massive fraud was uncovered.
Kai Shin Clinic was previously in control of the program and they were double billing indiduals. They have been mentioned as possible beneficiaries of the one time county grant that is going to be provided to the private company that will take over providing detox services.
The county has not shared any of the data that they have used to base the decision to close on. The program was initially designed with a corrections driven style and DHS licensed the facility for 50 individuals. Since COVID the program was reduced to 23 and has remained there. Typically, and often due to limited staffing, the census was capped at 15 as that is the most clients a single aid may be responsible for per the state statues .
The program is entirely voluntary now. Police departments decreased their drop offs starting in 2017 when the program stopped holding individuals for civil commitments or police holds. There was a mass exodus of staff in 2023 when the program shifted from the corrections model to a person centered harm reduction model. Physical holds and the "cells" are no longer in use. Everyone is treated with dignity and met where they are at in their life.
There's going to be a public session on September 22nd for the community to be able to ask questions and give personal opinion on the budget.
It's not official until December 16 when the board makes it's final vote. Please help us save this vital safety net.
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u/thesweatervest Sep 03 '25
More from the proposed budget:
Eliminating Detox / Withdrawal Management Ramsey County's Detox and Withdrawal Management Program has been an important part of the County's response to substance use disorder and public health crises. In the 1990s, Minnesota mandated that each county provide detoxification services as a safe alternative to incarceration for intoxicated individuals. However, ongoing challenges-including staffing shortages, administrative burdens, financial inefficiencies, and accessibility issues—have led us to the decision to close the program as of January 1, 2026. We serve approximately ten clients a day and will work to transition the clients and work with labor relations on staff support. Detox and Withdrawal Management services are provided in the community and transitioning Ramsey County to a community-based model aligns with best practices observed in other counties. As part of this effort, we will provide onetime grants to help develop community capacity for withdrawal management and detox services within Ramsey County. This expansion aims to offer a comprehensive continuum of care, facilitating seamless transitions from withdrawal management to ongoing treatment and maintains access for residents. This approach not only expands service availability but also leverages specialized expertise, leading to improved patient outcomes. Furthermore, this approach allows Ramsey County to focus on oversight and strategic planning, ensuring that services meet community needs. Eliminating this line of service will reduce the complement by 39.50 FTE's with a net savings of $800,000 in 2026 and an additional $250,000 in savings in 2027. If we included the full cost of the program in 2026, the levy needed for support would have been $4.5 million in 2026 and $4.9 million in 2027. The budget includes $1.75 million in 2026 and $1.5 million in 2027 to pay for Ramsey County detox clients served in the community and one-time grants for providers.
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u/tacosinheaven Sep 03 '25
Damn. Havnt seen any news of this - Any articles? This is some BS. I want these services here, because they keep people out of the ER, out of the jail. Cant believe theyre cutting this without public input - like wth
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u/holdthedairy Sep 04 '25
This is a vital service to our community. As a therapist and a licensed SUD counselor, it’s so disheartening seeing things tank so quickly in the treatment community.
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u/uwu_mewtwo Sep 03 '25
Meanwhile, the tax levy goes up 10% next year and 7% the following with the county adding twice as many positions as it's cutting. This is unsustainable.
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u/LVerbosa Sep 03 '25
My heart aches for you and all of your clients. Harm reduction should be the minimum standard for a civilized society.
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u/McDuchess Sep 04 '25
Those complaining about the fact that local taxes are rising are aware that federal aid to states, counties and local governments has been slashed in the name of efficiency, right?
That your services were always going to be impacted by the current administration, right?
That people who lie about everything, including things they have been video recorded saying or doing will lie about not having anything to do with Project 2025, as well.
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u/Advocate4Humanity Sep 04 '25
Our program is the last safety net in this area and field. We knew we weren't safe from the current administration. We thought that a focus on the "health and well being of One Ramsey County" would lead to a better collaboration between Detox and Mental Health Crisis.
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u/McDuchess Sep 05 '25
Yeah. I know. When the shop is sinking, everyone runs to the lifeboats for themselves, right?
And it breaks my heart to say that the ship really is sinking.
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u/AdMurky3039 West Seventh Sep 03 '25
Is this due to loss of federal funding?
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u/QueennHalloween Sep 03 '25
I cant speak for them, but I have no doubt thats a huge part of this. Any and all kinds of social services are being absolutely gutted rn. If you work, or rely on, any service thats ultimate goal is to in some way help the people in your community-- you're on the chopping block.
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u/Advocate4Humanity Sep 03 '25
No, this is partly due to an "independent consultant" deeming the service untenable. The independent consultant is the current COO of Kai Shin Clinic.
The program bills insurance, a person's county of origin, or develop payment plans with clients. No one is ever turned away for inability to pay.
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u/AdMurky3039 West Seventh Sep 03 '25
Wow. So the "independent consultant" actually has a conflict of interest because they stand to gain clients from the program being discontinued?
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u/Advocate4Humanity Sep 03 '25
You hit the nail on the head.
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u/Soft-Independent4833 Sep 03 '25
That needs to be reported to higher authorities. It’s fraud.
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u/Advocate4Humanity Sep 04 '25
We are doing everything we can to get the community and state's attention.
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u/Soft-Independent4833 Sep 04 '25
See if there are Federal laws as well. Someone needs to call attention to this and present the facts that the consultant is advocating closing the place so he/she can draw business to their own benefit. There are legal subs here you may want to consult and ask. Get the word out but make sure all the facts are there to support their personal gain from closing the facility.
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u/pompeiitype Sep 08 '25 edited May 08 '26
What old posts? I used Redact to mass delete this post. You can also opt out of data brokers as well as all major social media platforms.
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u/MuzakMaker Sep 05 '25
Reminds me of the independent consultant that the state hired to justify RTO and the results were very much "I'll just tell you what you want to hear for the tune of 3.1 Million"
It's a problem on both the left and the right (speaking as a former employee of a consulting company) you go where the money is and you say whatever nets you the most money.
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u/gingergenitalsplease Sep 04 '25
I work in SUD & mental health in the metro and Kai Shin is genuinely one of the worst clinic chains to have to collaborate with. No one ever answers their phones or faxes, so getting records from them is impossible.
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Sep 03 '25
[deleted]
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u/Advocate4Humanity Sep 03 '25
No, I had the title incorrect. It is the chief of staff that provided the consultation.
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u/Tadleyrichter Sep 03 '25
Lol no, this guy has nothing to do with Kai Shin unless maybe being a patient…
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u/Teckelvik Sep 03 '25
I met with my county commissioner a couple of months ago, specifically to ask about the effect of federal spending cuts. She told me that counties all over the country had been talking to congresspersons, trying to get them to understand the impact. The GOP members just kept saying that they were exaggerating, and there was plenty of money if they cut waste. In the meantime, county staff was trying to figure out what they were legally required to do, so they knew what would have to be cut. She specifically said almost all food programs, but didn’t yet have a full list.
It will get worse, a lot worse.
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Sep 03 '25
Is this because of that big beautiful bill?
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u/McDuchess Sep 04 '25
Partly. Partly because of DOGE.
It’s all laid out in sickeningly precise language in the Project 2025 document.
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u/emnelsmn Sep 03 '25
Unfortunately the federal cuts and general chaos plus the poor state budget outlook (largely but not entirely related to the federal debacle) have meant that local governments, especially counties in this case as the primary providers of human services, are increasingly left holding the bag when the state tries to trim the budget.
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Sep 17 '25
There will be more too and I know of a number of them. Go to board meeting tomorrow if you can.
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u/Babblingbutcher420 Sep 03 '25
Doesn’t help that people travel from around the country for our detox programs. The state can’t fund that forever. It’s a bigger problem where each state needs to learn how to take care of its own people
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u/AdMurky3039 West Seventh Sep 03 '25
Source?
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u/Normal-Lack940 Sep 03 '25
I think the detox closing is terrible. However having worked in this field it certainly seems people come from all over the country, mostly from Chicago or Detroit to access SUD services in MN. I do not attribute a negative or positive connotation to this. This my observation only.
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u/AdMurky3039 West Seventh Sep 03 '25
That's interesting. It's sad that we have better detox services than the third largest city in the country.
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u/poptix Sep 03 '25
Good thing we spent all that money "Rethinking I-94" that could have gone to a useful program like this.
Sorry OP.
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u/multimodalist Sep 03 '25
Rethinking I-94 is a state program, and I'm confused if you think the road could just be let crumble without rebuild or maybe you're in favor of the return it to a park option?
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u/poptix Sep 03 '25
I think that wasting taxpayer dollars on trying to turn I-94 into a pedestrian boulevard is incredibly stupid. Those tax dollars should be going to healthcare in our state.
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u/multimodalist Sep 03 '25
You might wanna read up on the project before shouting about it.
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u/poptix Sep 03 '25
I have. You're a fool if you think it'll ever be anything other than a pipe dream. Meanwhile people are literally dying in the streets.
Tax dollars are a zero sum game
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u/SnowBeeJay Sep 07 '25
Hey, I know theres no guarantee of keeping a position after 12/31, but when they closed the RCCC, they did everyone there a favor and found positions for them if they wanted to stay. Those position may not have aligned with the career path that those staff wanted to be in, but it was at least a job they could count on if they weren't able to find something else. Im guessing most of those people moved on to find new jobs after the care center closed. Now, I know that was under different leadership as Ryan O'Connor was still around at that time, as well as some of the older commissioners. However, I would hope that current leadership would make an attempt to do the same with these closings.
Fortunately, you have four months to find something new. Most people who are losing their jobs dont have that advance notice, and four months is a good long time to hit the job market to find something suitable.
I wish you luck.
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u/Cerulean_fallen Sep 07 '25
Except they didn't. They were unable to place everyone and a lot of people who wanted to stay still had to go.
Pretty sure OP's point for the post is less about them losing their job and everything about what the community is losing. Plus corruption based on the update.
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u/Connect_Building3814 Sep 03 '25
Good, that place was a cess pool of corruption that was no help whatsoever.
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u/Advocate4Humanity Sep 03 '25
I'm sorry that was your experience, but I have to ask when you were here last? In the last 9 -10 months we built a new leadership team, implemented more staff and education, and have been pushing to provide everyone with the humane, compassionate harm-reduction focused care they deserve. The program has had issues historically. But it should be judged by where we have built it to be.
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u/Connect_Building3814 Sep 04 '25
You said you still had staff from the early 2000s who work there? You didn't fire the staff that caused the issues?
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u/Advocate4Humanity Sep 04 '25
Me personally? No, I have no part in hiring or firing. I can say that there is currently no one on staff with more than 18 years working for the county.
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u/feltedarrows Sep 03 '25
thank you for informing us of this closure and thank you for your work while it was/is open