Even though Mankato is classified as a metropolitan statistical area, the community does not have a detox center of its own to handle intoxicated people.
It was a busy weekend for Mankato authorities with bars being packed. And for those who partied a little too hard, it also involved a trip to New Ulm--a half hour away.
"It's about a 60 minute...trip," said Sheriff Brad Peterson of Blue Earth County.
That meant the non-profit Brown County Detox Center in New Ulm filled up quickly.
"We were full both nights with the MSU homecoming, and we have 16 beds that we are able to fill," said Jill Wenzel, Brown County Detox Center director.
So why doesn't Mankato have it's own detox facility?
"We had one at one time," said Cmdr. Craig Frericks of the Mankato Department of Public Safety.
"They ended up closing that down over time due to not enough clientele...to cover the cost of keeping it open and operating," said Peterson.
In fact, Wenzel says Mankato had its own detoxification facility from 1998 to 2001. It was run as a satellite with the Brown County Detox Center.
"The cost efficiency of that just wasn't feasible," said Wenzel.
Officials say under state law, Blue Earth County has to provide a place for detoxification, and in many instances, that place ends up being New Ulm.
Peterson says, even when local authorities have to transport drunks to other cities further away than New Ulm such as Hastings, the benefits outweigh the costs.
"If you run the numbers, it's still far cheaper to do those transport(s) and pay the staff time and different costs than what it would cost if the county would put a detox here and staff it with nursing," Peterson said.
So who pays for a stay at detox? Officials say in many cases a person's insurance will cover the tab. But if a patient doesn't have insurance, or if there's any amount left over after they use their insurance, that bill gets sent to the county where the patient was transported from.
"From a law enforcement perspective, we would like to see more of these (detox) facilities, but we understand from an efficiency level, they can only sustain so many," said Cmdr. David Borchert of the New Ulm Police Department.
An average stay at the Brown County Detox Center lasts roughly 48 hours with a cost of $340 per day.
Officials say a total of 13 counties use the Brown County Detox Center.
