Facility to help those with drug and alcohol addictions opens

A new facility will help people to withdraw from drugs and alcohol and help them get connected to programs to end their addiction.

Melanie Olson from Lourdes Counseling Center was at the "Desert Hope" open house Monday and says the center will be open 24-hours for individuals withdrawing from alcohol or other substances. Olson says currently the treatment center is licensed for 12 beds but could expand to 16.

She says because many mental health cases and addictions go hand-in-hand, they expect to help many of those patients and provide the treatment they need. Typically patients will stay three to five days.

Lourdes took over the treatment center, when Tri-City Community Health stopped providing a similar service last summer.

The center will start accepting patients Tuesday.