Riverton's Solutions Committee has recommended an inpatient treatment center to address drug and alcohol addiction in the city.
The committee is made up of city council members, law enforcement and other community stakeholders. Some of its past recommendations include banning business from selling alcohol to individuals placed on a "habitually intoxicated" list and classifying products such as mouthwash and hand sanitizer as "illegal intoxicants."
More recently, City Councilman Tim Hancock said that the committee has shifted its focus to addiction treatment.
"It's a solution that was staring us in the face," Hancock said. "But because it's such a difficult thing to figure out how to do, there hadn't really ever been a group that was dedicated to it."
Hancock said currently, a Riverton resident in need of inpatient addiction treatment would need to travel two hours or more to access it. He said that the proposed center would benefit Fremont County and take the pressure off of overcrowded facilities elsewhere in Wyoming.
But Hancock said that paying for the new treatment center is easier said that done.
"That's the real question right now, that's the first question that we're trying to answer is where can we get funding for this?" Hancock said.
The solutions committee is currently looking into state and federal grants that could help get the project off the ground. It is also considering community crowd funding.
