Regional detox needed

Dear Editor:

This is a letter of personal support for the regional detox center concept as proposed by the Aspen Valley Hospital team.

As a psychiatrist, I see all too often the sadness and medical consequences caused by excessive use of alcohol. No town or city is immune to this, even a city that has the beauty and creativity of Aspen. Creating a regional detox center allows for a better facility to be prepared as there are more partners. Better funding allows for better care (actual treatment, within this area, not mere detox) than any one city alone could provide. In this sense, a facility like this truly does “take a village.”

As a member of the medical staff at AVH, I hope to see these plans come to fruition. I will work to try and make this happen and will encourage others of the medical staff to do the same.

Dr. Alan A. Nelson

Aspen and Carbondale