SMELTERVILLE — Shoshone County’s Idaho Law Enforcement Diversion program will continue even as its original grant funding runs out. 

A new partnership with Shoshone Medical Center will keep the program in place after the original three-year grant ends. 

In 2023, the Idaho Department of Correction began looking statewide for ways to improve substance abuse treatment. 

That March, Shoshone County applied to the department for $420,000 — twice the amount being offered — to build a program that would place a treatment provider inside the courthouse. Shoshone County Prosecutor Ben Allen helped lead the effort. He said quick access to treatment could help the county avoid problems that have slowed similar diversion programs elsewhere. 

"As a Prosecuting Attorney, I have come to learn that a common contributor to relapse is the gap in time between offender release and entry into treatment,” Allen said. “If we are going to keep our community safe while finding ways for defendants to seek rehabilitation, we have to remove the gap between release from custody and entry into treatment.”  

To take part in ILED, defendants must agree to stay in police custody for a set detox period. After release, they must follow strict rules, including reporting to treatment right away, taking part in programming, finding and keeping work, and submitting to regular testing. 

The program later expanded beyond ILED-qualified participants to include people referred by courts and attorneys, adult misdemeanor probation clients and assessments. Participants have found stable housing, obtained insurance and vital documents such as birth certificates, accessed medical care, rebuilt healthy social networks, and taken steps toward long-term recovery and less involvement with the justice system. 

Allen said former participants also still return to the program for help when they feel themselves slipping back into old behaviors and habits. 

With Shoshone Medical Center taking over treatment services, the program is expected to remain part of the county’s response to drug-related crime. Under a medical provider, ILED will also be able to accept insurance, something it could not do as a county-run program. 

“Accepting insurances that would pay for the program was not going to work as a county-operated program, so we began reaching out to partners to bring the program in under their organizations,” county grants administrator Colleen Rosson said. “The substance use disorder component of behavioral and mental health treatment is not on every corner here and highly important to the success of the people we serve."     

Since launching, the ILED program has served 14 ILED-specific clients and 68 misdemeanor clients. Of those, 34 have graduated or completed the program, while seven have been terminated. Allen said he expects more graduations and completions in the coming months. 

For newly hired Shoshone Medical Center CEO Shane Sanborn, keeping the program going quickly became an early priority. He said ILED addresses one of the Silver Valley’s long-term health challenges. 

“Expanding and strengthening the substance use disorder component within our broader behavioral and mental health services is a critical priority for us,” Sanborn said. “We recognize the profound impact that timely, accessible, and coordinated care can have on individuals and families, and we are proud to partner in a program that not only supports recovery but also promotes lasting stability and community well-being. We hope to grow these services, closing gaps in care, and ensuring that individuals have access to the support they need, when they need it most.” 

The transition from the county to Shoshone Medical Center will begin over the next few months as the remaining Idaho Department of Corrections grant funding runs out. Treatment services will be housed at the SMC Wellness Center in Smelterville. 

County officials said Shoshone Medical Center emerged as the best fit after discussions with interested organizations. They said the hospital is committed to continuing the service and maintaining care for clients already in the program. The county plans to begin the transition with SMC over the next few months. 

The current ILED board, which includes Allen and several other county employees, will stay in place. Shoshone Medical Center, however, will take over responsibility for treatment services. 

“This partnership reflects what is possible when local leadership, public health, and healthcare organizations align around a shared goal of improving lives and strengthening communities,” Sanborn said.