We’ve watched renovations at the former Ramada Inn with great interest for more than a year now. Having one central place that can serve a variety of needs will be an asset to our community, and we look forward to its completion.
The remodeled inn will hold the United Way, a shelter for unhoused people — most likely an extension of the Bartlett House — a feeding program and a sobering center. All these will provide much needed social services to the community, but for now we’d like to focus on the sobering center.
The 21-bed unit will give intoxicated people a place to sober up without being thrown in jail for the night. Local law enforcement commented they haven’t had a good solution for handling someone who’s had too much to drink; options have been limited to trying to find a friend or family member to retrieve the drunk person, drop them off at the emergency room or take them to the regional jail. Now a new option is on the table that can benefit everyone.
First, not every intoxicated person needs to end up behind bars, especially if that person hasn’t committed any crimes, like driving under the influence. Second, jails are not rehabilitation centers. The sobering center hopes to have a recovery coach on staff — and it really should have one — who can hopefully get anyone dropped off the help they need to not become a regular at the facility. Not everyone who sleeps it off at the former Ramada Inn will be ready for long-term sobriety, but if they keep coming back to the center, they will have a safe place to rest and have easy access to resources when they are ready to get sober.
Our emergency infrastructure will also benefit. Local police will save time and taxpayer money if they don’t have to arrest and transport drunk people to the regional jail in Doddridge County — it’s a much shorter drive to the old Ramada on Scott Avenue.
In the time of COVID, our medical systems are already overworked, nearing overwhelmed. Our emergency rooms will better be able to serve the general public if staff and resources don’t have to be diverted to treat intoxicated people dumped on the doorstep by law enforcement.
Assistant City Manager Emily Muzzarelli said a plan is still being made as to who would operate the center and manage the employees, “whether that be paramedics and EMS or recovery coaches” (DP-01-24-21). We do believe that someone with medical training — a nurse or EMT — should be on the premises at all times for the health and safety of anyone seeking services there. With individuals under the influence of alcohol, there is always a concern of aspirating vomit or alcohol poisoning.
It’s amazing to see Morgantown take a community-centered approach to matters like public intoxication. It shows the ways in which we care about and for our neighbors. And that’s something for the whole city to be proud of.
