AFSCME Council 5, AFSCME Local 8 and 151 who represent Ramsey County Detox and Withdrawal Program, and concerned community members and allies are collectively sounding the alarm after Ramsey County management announced its devastating decision to close its Detox and Withdrawal Management program. [NEW/DH] This program is a vital lifeline for individuals struggling with substance use disorders and supports the dedicated frontline workers who provide critical, life-saving services every day.

Closing this program will displace essential frontline workers, [NEW/DH] reduce access to care for vulnerable residents, and put lives at risk when Minnesota continues to grapple with a devastating drug epidemic. Instead of investing in care, this decision abandons both the professionals who serve on the front lines and the residents who rely on these services.] It will strip our community of critical resources at the very moment they are most needed. This will undoubtedly lead to deaths of valuable members of our communities who cannot locate critical services to keep them alive in their most vulnerable time. We will not sit idly by and let this happen!

Minnesota and other states are in the midst of a drug epidemic that has torn families apart and stolen too many lives. Yet instead of investing in care, Ramsey County is cutting it. This decision abandons both the workers who serve on the frontlines and the vulnerable residents who rely on them. This falls ultimately on you as elected Ramsey County Commissioners who are accountable to workers and your constituents.

We are calling on you, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners, to rescind this directive to close the program and instead invest in saving lives. That is your duty and responsibility. The lives of those we keep alive are in your hands.

The decision you must make is whether you will throw people out on the street with drug addiction and no services to help them or invest in these services and keep them alive. We hope you chose life over a for-profit company's bottom-line.

[NEW paragraph/DH] We are ready to work with the Board to identify solutions that maintain these vital services while addressing operational concerns. We hope you will choose to prioritize life, care, and community well-being over cuts that place people in harms way.

We are sounding the alarm and ready to work with you to prevent this deadly decision.