Closure of Lubbock’s only inpatient, outpatient addiction recovery provider leaves gaps

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Curtis Hinds says the turning point in his life came in July 2009 when he was dropped off at Lubbock's Managed Care Center.

He'd become a daily meth user up to that point, but now proudly says he hasn't used since.

"I've yet to relapse," Hinds said this week. "We can't say I'll never relapse, but I've yet to."

Lubbock's Managed Care is a non-profit organization that, according to its website, served West Texas and the Panhandle since 1994. Hinds credits Managed Care for helping in his recovery, and he says many people in the Lubbock area do as well.

Lubbock's Managed Care Center abruptly closed in July 2019 for unspecified reasons. Located near Avenue Q and 26th Street, it provided comprehensive inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment services for low-income adults.

Katherine Wells, Lubbock's director of public health, said closing the state-funded addiction recovery facility left a large gap in services. Lubbock's uninsured and low-income residents battling drug and alcohol addiction are being forced to leave the city to get inpatient or outpatient care.

Even if someone is willing to leave Lubbock, the wait is up to three months.

On Thursday, the waiting list for the Plainview Serenity Center was more than 100 people long, and Wells said the waiting list has been around 150 people of late.

"We're seeing longer waiting lists to get into services, and people who are unfunded, most of them have to leave Lubbock to get care," Wells said. "That's hard. I think recovery is helping that individual, but it's also helping the family unit... I think people need to be able to access recovery in their home community."

There are also state-funded treatment facilities in Midland, Abilene and Fort Worth that Wells said people in Lubbock are seeking.

Lubbock isn't the only city hurting because Managed Care closed— Wells said people from all over the area were getting help there.

Hinds, who before 2009 was bouncing back-and-forth between Texas and California after his parents divorced, said be began using meth at a young age. After years of using, he said he forgot how to live life.

In 2009 he was back in San Angelo, and his mom brought him to Lubbock's non-profit substance abuse treatment center specifically focused on serving the indigent, and people without health insurance. Managed care offered months-long inpatient and outpatient recovery programs.

"I needed to be told what to do because I didn't now how to tie my shoes, let alone live my life," Hinds said. "I hadn't functioned without using for years.

"I was indigent, I'd been indigent for a long time, there's no way I could have paid for services, there's no way I could have paid for treatment," Hinds continued. "I needed help. I'm so grateful my mother researched those resources and was able to find that, and the state had an assessment program that helped me find placement."

Hinds said he spent 14 days at the Managed Care Center, and later moved to a sober living house.

He said Managed Care gave him the structure he needed. He said meals were at a specific time, lights were out at specific time and his day was a strict schedule with chores and group sessions.

"I'd been using daily for several years, and managed care gave me the opportunity to know I didn't have to do drugs," he continued. "I wasn't able to retain a lot of things they taught because of my mental state, but it was the beginning I needed. I needed somewhere that would feed me, let me sleep, and help me be better."

Hinds believes his mother directed him to rehab at the perfect time — if he'd been forced to wait months for treatment he says he wouldn't have recovered. Seeking help for addiction is a big step, and Hinds says being told to wait months is devastating.

When he finally sought help in his battle with meth, he said he was able to get it at Managed Care.

Now 10 years later, Hinds is helping others find their way back to healthy and productive lives at The Ranch at Dove Tree, where he's the director of environmental services. He's helping others fight the same battles he fought.

Mechie Scherpereel, director of communications at The Ranch at Dove Tree, said Managed Care shutting down was one of the worst things that could happen to Lubbock.

Scherpereel said Dove Tree and others take in who they can, when they can, but there's not near enough free services in the city anymore. He said Managed Care was the only inpatient and outpatient recovery facility specifically for individuals without health insurance.

Scherpereel said there's still 12-step programs available, but he said some people need to decompress, need detox, and need that time away.

"There's an epidemic in Lubbock with drug addiction," Scherpereel said. "You can't do this alone, you can't just will-power through this, so what do you think the success rate is after actually waiting three months to come in? We need more state-funded facilities."

Since addiction can cause job loss, and jobs are typically tied to health insurance, Scherpereel said it's a big issue.

"We're spoiled here if you have insurance," Scherpereel said about Lubbock's addiction recovery services. "If you don't have insurance, you're basically set up to fail."

Managed Care was largely, if not completely, funded by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. A-J Media contacted the Texas Health and Human Services Commission this week for more information about the closure, but the commission hadn't responded to written questions by late Friday.

The old Managed Care facility is already under construction by a new user — the Lubbock Independent School District, according to the city's construction permits.

Those involved in Lubbock's addiction recovery community still don't know why Managed Care closed. There's speculation of minor financial mismanagement, and not enough state-reimbursement.

Whatever the reason, Wells said Lubbock is hurting.

Area professionals and concerned community members have formed a group, which Wells said is called Lubbock Area Recovery Alliance (LARA). Wells said the alliance meets somewhat regularly to try to come up with ways to address the lack of affordable substance abuse treatment.

Wells said the group meets again early next month.

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©2019 the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (Lubbock, Texas)