Denver CARES is set for a $675,000 renovation, paid from opioid settlement money, to meet new treatment standards by July 2027
A contract up for first reading Monday would help Denver Health rebuild parts of the city's detox center so it can offer a higher level of residential treatment. It comes a week after reporting on the program's funding gap and a 2024 jury verdict.
Denver CARES, the detox and sobering center that Denver Health runs at 777 Bannock St., is in line for a renovation. A proposed agreement between the city and Denver Health would pay $675,000 to redesign and modernize the facility so it can meet "upcoming Level 3.5 Residential Treatment standards," according to the city's bill request.
It is Council Bill 26-1512, up for first reading at the City Council on Monday, Nov. 2 (agenda).
Why it matters: CARES is a place for people who are intoxicated to sober up outside of jail or an emergency room. Police drop-offs make up more than half its admissions, according to hospital documents cited in an Oct. 23 Denver Gazette investigation. Our earlier story covered that reporting on its funding and a 2024 federal jury verdict.
What the money pays for
According to the bill request from the Department of Public Health and Environment:
- The goal: a "coordinated recovery and stabilization hub" that meets Level 3.5 residential treatment standards. The request calls the project both a capital modernization and a regulatory compliance effort, with completion targeted before a July 1, 2027, compliance deadline.
- The work: design and planning, renovating aging infrastructure, and modernizing floor plans, heating and air systems and plumbing to improve safety, accessibility, privacy and infection prevention.
- Treatment: the improvements are meant to support "trauma-informed" care and to "increase capacity for evidence-based opioid use disorder services."
- Term: May 15, 2026, to May 15, 2028. The request lists Howell Construction as the subcontractor.
- Money: Opioid Abatement Funds, the city's share of national opioid settlements, not the General Fund.
What our records add
City officials have described this shift. At a Sept. 21 budget hearing, a public health department official told the Council that as CARES moves from a level 3.2 to a 3.5 service, it can provide a higher level of care than "just social detox," and said the city and Denver Health should plan together on how it fits with other services (video).
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The size of the program. At the same day's Denver Health budget hearing, the hospital's presentation said CARES costs about $12 million a year to operate and serves roughly 28,000 visits from about 10,000 people, with about 90 staff, 27 of them in counseling (video).
Who asked about it. Paul Kashmann asked at that hearing how people get to CARES and heard that many are brought by police (video). Amanda Sawyer asked why CARES isn't funded through its own contract (video). On Sept. 23, Jamie Torres asked whether the Department of Safety could pay part of the cost (video).
The operating money is separate. This contract pays for construction only. For operations, Mayor Mike Johnston agreed to about $2 million for CARES in 2027 through the city's agreement with Denver Health, including $1.4 million from the climate office and about $566,000 from the Department of Safety, the Denver Gazette reported. The $48.8 million Denver Health operating agreement for 2027, 26-1622, goes to the Health and Safety Committee on Wednesday (agenda).
Committee step. The Health and Safety Committee approved the renovation contract by consent on Oct. 21, according to its Legistar record.