Momenta is a substance abuse treatment center which recently opened in Glenwood Springs, CO. It offers both outpatient and inpatient mental health and substance use disorder services.
Momenta was founded by Mandy Owensby, who herself has been in recovery for almost six years. Owensby, a mother of two children, aspired to create a program geared specifically toward both women and mothers after her own previous difficulties finding programs that would accept her together with her children.
Before having opening the addiction center, she worked in human services. During this time she noticed that there was a lack of treatment resources for local patients, who instead had to be referred to programs out of state.
Bailey Allison, Momenta clinician, said that economic troubles contributed to addiction trends rising in the state. She added that a lack of psychiatrists and physicians providing treatment in rural communities such as Glenwood Springs has not helped the issue.
There has been a significant rise in substance abuse and suicides in mountain communities, Owensby noted.
The Colorado Department of Health & Environment estimated that close to 960 total drug poisoning deaths occurred in 2017. This number represents a five year high for Colorado.
Gov. John Hickenlooper recently passed a law to keep the Substance Abuse Trend and Response Task Force in Colorado in tact.
In October 2017, the task force instigated a subcommittee focused on protecting and supporting children whose parents or caregivers have substance use disorders. Owensby claims that a great deal of mothers with substance abuse problems are scared of losing custody of their children. She added that many of them may not seek help until their substance abuse becomes very severe.
The staff at Momenta utilize a holistic approach to recovery, centered not only on mother-child relationships, but on the family as a whole. Based on a 12-step model, the treatment center offers family therapy, fitness, nutrition and other courses.
Besides Momenta, Owensby says only three other programs — in Grand Junction, Denver and Pueblo — offer similar services.
The facility is structured with two buildings. The first houses eighteen women in the addiction treatment program, whereas the second one provides room for six women who have completed treatment and are transitioning back into society.
Owensby makes it a requirement that patients commit to a minimum of 90 days of treatment. She is a firm believer that the longer they receive treatment services, the more likely they will be able to sustain long-term recovery. A longer treatment program may also reduce ‘triggers’ in a patient susceptible to relapse.
In her work with outpatient treatment centers, Allison worked with patients who suffer addictions due to experiencing trauma in their lives. Depending on the severity of their trauma, they may be at higher risk of developing substance use disorders in the future.
Furthermore, she believes if people are willing understand the connection between drug addiction and trauma, then it can be easier for them to see substance use not as a choice but a medical condition.
Momenta’s opening has created much interest from those seeking addiction treatment, leaving Owensby believing that they may soon have to place people on a wait list.
