DOC Announces Repurposing of Glendive Facility as Innovative Treatment Facility

• Carolynn Bright
• November 02 2021

The Montana Department of Corrections’ WATCh East program in Glendive, Mont. will close in the coming months and be replaced with a much-needed community substance use disorder treatment facility. 

The facility, which is owned by the state, will be leased to Community, Counseling, and Correctional Services Inc. (CCCS), which currently runs the WATCh East program, a correctional program for individuals convicted of felony DUIs.  The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) will work with CCCS to complete the licensing process so it can accept Medicaid reimbursement.  Medicaid recipients often face lengthy waitlists at existing treatment facilities, and this new facility will prioritize those enrolled in Medicaid. 

“This is an exciting opportunity to repurpose an excellent campus and work group in a great community  to create an innovative treatment program for people in need of help, so they don’t end up in the corrections system,” DOC Director Brian Gootkin said. “Creating treatment opportunities in rural Montana is critical to diverting folks from the criminal justice system.”

The innovative program will benefit from the Healing and Ending Addiction through Recovery and Treatment (HEART) initiative, which is a key element of Governor Gianforte’s plan to expand behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment services in Montana.  DPHHS has asked the federal government to waive its prohibition on Medicaid coverage for residential treatment facilities with more than 16 beds.  WATCh East has a current capacity of 48. 

“We are hopeful the federal government will approve this request and allow us to expand our treatment capacity in eastern Montana,” DPHHS Director Adam Meier said.

In the meantime, CCCS will move toward licensure as a Medicaid-reimbursable treatment facility and begin its transition with minimal impact on current staff.

WATCh East opened its doors in 2005 as a six-month program for individuals convicted of felony DUI.  The facility has seen declining use with the concurrent expansion of Medicaid and felony treatment courts around the state. 

The DOC will continue to operate its other correctional treatment facilities around the state and is working to transition offenders currently at WATCh East on an individual basis.