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Center is one of a kind in western Kansas
Published 8/31/2010 in Local News
City on a Hill currently at capacity.
BY RACHAEL GRAY
1
Telegram Photo Tammy and Christopher Lund sit outside at City on a Hill in this 2009 photo.
Since opening its doors at the Marienthal location last September, City On A Hill, a substance abuse center for women, has served 61 patients.
Of those, 50 percent were still "doing well," or were holding jobs and had stabilized, according to Christopher Lund, executive director.
After receiving a $50,000 federal block grant, and gaining official recognition from ValueOptions, the managed health care provider in substance abuse, Lund said the center in Wichita County is off to a good start for its first year at the new location. Services have been expanded to give outpatient care, which is operated out of an office in Garden City at 116 1/2 E. Chestnut St. Outpatient services have been offered since August.
A detox and medical services center, run in Greeley County, has enabled Lund and his wife, Tammy, residential director, to keep costs down at the Marienthal location, he said.
The Marienthal center is currently at capacity, serving eight women. A typical stay for a patient is 30 days, which costs the center $4,000 to $5,000. The cost is somewhat offset by the block grant and Medicaid, Lund said.
The center will operate on about $500,000 for 2010, he said, which is up from last year's operating cost of $386,000. The budget comes from donations, area county funding, and now the federal grant. Lund said the center received $65,000 from area counties for 2010.
Lund said the center is now able to offer benefits for its three employees at the outpatient care facility in Garden City, and for the five employees at the Marienthal location.
The center first started in November 2008 at Camp Christy, near Scott City. Marienthal couple Mary and Jerome Berning turned over their farm to the Lunds, who then converted the former foster care home into an intermediate treatment center for women dealing with alcohol and substance abuse problems.
Working in treatment and corrections before, it's been the Lunds' dream to open a center in western Kansas for women.
"It was based a on a real need," Christopher Lund said, adding that City On A Hill is the only facility of its kind in western Kansas that offers the services that it does.
While working with the Kansas Department of Corrections and finding placement for women for substance abuse treatment, the closest place Lund could send patients to was Hoisington. The wait, lack of transportation and other challenges in getting a woman placed in 24-hour treatment can be life threatening for someone struggling with substance abuse, he had said.
The decision to start City On A Hill when many businesses were closing because of the economic downturn last year was nerve-wracking, Lund said. But with the advice and support of the southwest Kansas communities, and Matt Allen, Garden City city manager, and Cliff Mayo, Finney County commissioner, the Lunds went ahead.
Lund said Allen and Mayo helped allocate certain alcohol and tax funds, which go back into substance abuse programs, to City On A Hill.
City On A Hill is now operating its office and additional outpatient services, including Spanish-speaking and domestic violence services, at 116 1/2 E. Chestnut in Garden City.
For more information on the City On A Hill treatment center, contact the center in Marienthal at (620) 379-4478, or at the local City On A Hill office at 276-0831.
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