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Mind Springs’ Board of Directors voted unanimously Thursday night to cease contract negotiations with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after hearing ‘significant’ concerns from community members.
Mind Springs, the largest mental health provider on the Western Slope, was considering a partnership with ICE Health Service Corp to offer inpatient psychiatric care at West Springs Hospital in Grand Junction for detainees experiencing acute mental health crises.
However, the nonprofit said they received significant concerns from community members over the deal.
"After thorough deliberation, the Board concluded that entering into this contract would compromise community trust,” Carlos Cornejo, Mind Springs, Inc. Board Chair said in a press release on Thursday. “West Springs Hospital and Mind Springs Health are completely committed to providing behavioral healthcare services to all individuals, but we believe that it is essential to maintain the trust and confidence of the communities we serve, and this decision reflects our dedication to that principle."
The press release did not go into detail about specific concerns, but Latino advocacy groups and immigration lawyers have expressed concern that a partnership between ICE and Mind Springs could lead to information sharing between the two organizations.
Others worried that offering bed space to ICE would limit West Spring Hospital’s capacity to accept local patients.
In its press release, Mind Springs’ board also addressed inaccurate rumors that began circulating on social media platforms in January. A post on Reddit said Mind Springs was planning to use one of its properties as an ICE detention center.
“The rumor falsely talked about buildings on Commercial Street that would become a detention facility. Mind Springs owns no properties on that street. To clarify, the buildings on the Mind Springs’ main campus on 28 3/4 Road will not and cannot become a detention facility as it does not qualify to be one.”
Mind Springs staff went on to say that they will not move forward with an ICE contract “at this time,” leaving some ambiguity about whether or not the nonprofit will revisit a partnership with the federal agency in the future.
Mind Springs staff were not available for comment on Friday.
Background
Larkin Health, which began managing Mind Springs in November, has a long history of working with ICE at its facilities in Florida.
In a virtual meeting with a senior executive at Larkin Health, Dr. Nicholas Torres, Mind Springs staff asked questions about a possible collaboration with ICE.
Dr. Torres said they were considering a deal to offer long-term mental health care to unaccompanied minors in ICE custody. (Undocumented children are typically in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, but recent hiring changes have cast doubt over what separation remains between the two agencies.)
In an interview on Feb. 3, Dr. Torres clarified that Mind Springs was no longer considering a contract where it would house and care for children, but that ICE was more interested in using beds in West Springs Hospital for adult detainees in need of serious mental health support.
“We thought that they had a need for children,” Dr. Torres said. “However, when they came out, we invited them for an on-site visit, they were mainly focused on the acute, inpatient, adult psychiatric services.”
Since then, other news outlets in Grand Junction have covered the issue, and immigrant advocates met with the nonprofit to dissuade them from making a deal with ICE.
Latino advocacy nonprofit Voces Unidas met with Mind Springs staff after the news broke of a potential contract and pledged to help support the organization if they did not pursue a financial partnership with ICE.
“We pledged to work with them on a regional solution and advocate to help fund and increase mental health access, … so long as they did not engage with ICE.” said Alex Sanchez, President and CEO of Voces Unidas.
In a blog post Friday afternoon, Voces Unidas commended the decision, saying “it was crucial for individuals seeking help not to feel fearful when accessing these essential services.”
Claire Noone, an attorney based in Glenwood Springs, has been in discussions with Mind Springs staff as a representative of organizations that provide immigrant services.
She said that some leaders were concerned about referring patients to Mind Springs while it was considering a contract with ICE.
After hearing that the nonprofit was abandoning this plan, Noone said in a text message on Friday morning, “I am certainly cautious, but feel hopeful about this huge step.”
