Momenta is a rehabilitation treatment facility that recently opened in Glenwood Springs, CO, offering mental health and substance abuse service to inpatients and outpatients.
Momenta was founded by Mandy Owensby, who has been in recovery nearly six years. As a mother, Owensby wanted to create a program that specifically helped both women and mothers after her own difficulties finding programs that would accept her with her children.
Before opening the rehabilitation center, Owensby worked in human services. During this time, she noticed there was a shortage of local treatment resources for patients, who instead had to be referred to programs out of state.
Momenta clinician Bailey Allison stated that economic hardships have been a contributor to rising addiction trends in the state. She continued that a lack of psychiatrists and physicians who can provide treatment in small town communities such as Glenwood Springs has further highlighted the problem.
The Colorado Department of Health & Environment estimated that almost 960 total drug poisoning deaths happened in 2017, representing a 5-year high for the state. In turn, Gov. John Hickenlooper passed a law to maintain the Substance Abuse Trend and Response Task Force.
The task force set up a subcommittee in October 2017 that focused on supporting and protecting children who have parents or carers that have substance abuse problems. Often, mothers with substance use disorders fear losing custody of their children and many of them may refuse to seek help until their substance abuse is severe.
Utilizing a holistic approach to recovery, Momenta staff center not only on mother-child relationships, but on the family as a whole. Based on a 12-step model, the treatment center offers many courses for patients.
According to Owensby, in addition to Momenta, only three other programs — in Denver, Grand Junction and Pueblo — offer similar services. There are two buildings which make up the facility. The first houses eighteen women, while the second one has room for six women who have finished treatment and are soon ready to join back into society.
Owensby requires patients to complete a minimum of ninety days of treatment, as she believes that the longer patients receive treatment services, the more likely they are able to stick to a long term recover plan. Further, longer treatment may help to eliminate patient ‘triggers’. The current success of Momenta has left Owensby feeling there may be a waiting list soon.
