BLOOMINGTON - McLean County's only non-medical, alcohol and drug detoxification program will end July 1 because Chestnut Health Systems can no longer afford to cover the state's underfunding of the program, Chestnut announced Tuesday. | Local United Way sets cabinet, pacesetter

However, more intensive, medically monitored alcohol and drug detox programs continue at BroMenn Regional Medical Center, Normal.

Chestnut will stop providing its inpatient service because chronic underfunding by the state of Illinois - coupled with state cuts to other Chestnut programs - means the agency can no longer afford to cover the detox program's deficits, said Chestnut Chief Operating Officer Alan Sender.

"This is not a decision taken lightly - not after providing the service for more than 30 years," he said.

In the past 12 months, more than 400 people from 43 counties were served by the program, Sender said. Fewer than half of the clients came from McLean County.

Eight full-time employees have lost their jobs as a result of the program cut.

"We've had this program for so long, I don't know where those people will go," Sender said of people who need an inpatient, non-medical program to remove alcohol or drugs from their body before pursuing long-term treatment.

"How this affects us remains to be seen," said Normal Police Chief Kent Crutcher.

Chestnut has received $285,000 from the state each of the past eight years to run the program, but the program costs about $380,000, Sender said. Chestnut has made up the difference.

Inpatient programs at BroMenn provide 24-hour medical supervision, said Linda Johnson, vice president of patient care. Those programs are funded by insurance and other payers not affected by the state budget.

Other Chestnut substance abuse treatment programs remain open, Sender said. But with state funding reduced by 72 percent beginning July 1, the remaining funding will last only a few months, he said.

"We hope that cooler political heads will prevail," resulting in sensible funding for the next fiscal year, Sender said.