BOZEMAN — A few months ago, MTN’s Esha Walia spoke with the Rimrock Foundation about their expansion into Bozeman. On Friday, she checked in with them about how their first few months of operations have gone.
“At first I was a little skeptical, but once I got here, it’s a great place to be,” said Kris Ingwell.
Ingwell is a client at Rimrock, a Billings-based mental health and substance-use treatment center. He has lived in Gallatin County for more than 20 years.
“I got some DUIs and came to Rimrock through the prerelease program,” said Ingwell.
Ingwell says he has been through treatment in the past, which is why he was skeptical about going to Rimrock.
“I was like, ‘Oh, more treatment, more treatment,’ but Rimrock is a different scenario; it’s all good here,” said Ingwell.
Why? Ingwell says it’s all because of the staff.
“People who work here, it’s not a job to them; they’re dedicated to what they do because they have a past too. We all do,” said Ingwell.
WATCH: Rimrock Bozeman sees nearly 600 clients in first four months of operations
For the past four months, Ingwell has attended classes three times a week after work, had weekly one-on-ones, and says he has built a community through Rimrock.
“It’s a good place to talk and vent and talk about your days, and you can be real open here,” he said.
That’s exactly the goal of Rimrock, as Director of Communications and Outreach Chyrel Garding explains.
“You don’t have to struggle alone. There is help out there; we are available. Please call,” said Garding.
Garding says the Rimrock location in Bozeman officially opened in January. They have already seen almost 600 clients since then.
“Which is really a big number for this service and for this valley,” said Garding. “The need is greater than we even anticipated, and we expected it would be large.”
Many of their clients are from the HRDC’s Warming Center, located less than a mile away.
“We have a really good partnership with them and a referral program back and forth,” said Garding.
Right now, the Bozeman location is outpatient-only, but Garding says there are already discussions about adding a residential component or a vehicle to transport clients to the Billings location, which does offer residential services.
“Rimrock is in growth mode,” said Garding.
With Ingwell having gone through a few months of treatment at Rimrock, I asked him if it has changed his life.
“Most definitely,” said Ingwell.
If you’re interested in learning more about Rimrock, visit this link.
