Due to financial hardships, the Pan American Community Hospital decided to close its detox facility which treated more than 900 alcoholics and addicts a year, most of whom could not afford more expensive treatment options.

Although there are several other alcohol and drug treatment centers in the EL Paso area, none of them offer detoxification services -- which is usually a short-term, in-patient effort to help addicts through intense withdrawal symptoms.

"We had patients from all walks of life, including lawyers, Veterans Affairs patients and a few people from Juarez who paid for their treatment, but the majority of our patients were indigent and could not afford to pay for private detox services," former director, Sam Marcel told the El Paso Times. "There really is a great need in this community for a detox center."

Marcel said that the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse is seeking proposals for a new detox program, and that he and others who worked at the hospital unit plan to offer a proposal.

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