Fundraiser to Save Local Detox Services

Pathway Society is turning a cycling stunt into a fundraising push as it tries to finish and equip a new detoxification facility in downtown San Jose. The Santa Clara County nonprofit said its chief executive, Gary Montrezza, will attempt an “Everesting” ride on May 21 by repeating a 1.8-mile Los Gatos loop until he reaches the elevation gain of Mount Everest. The event comes as the group says budget pressure has left it seeking private support for staffing, beds, furnishings and program supplies at the new site. The ride and public event are part fundraiser, part awareness campaign for addiction treatment services that Pathway Society says remain in short supply locally. ### What exactly is happening on May 21? May 21 is the date of Pathway Society’s first annual Recovery Ride, according to the nonprofit’s event page. Montrezza said he will lead the fundraiser through a solo Everesting attempt, a cycling challenge that requires a rider to repeat the same climb until reaching 29,032 feet of total elevation gain, the height commonly used for Mount Everest in the sport. Pathway Society said the ride is meant to symbolize the difficulty of recovery from drugs and alcohol. (pathwaysociety.org) Los Gatos is the setting for the public-facing portion of the event. Pathway Society said supporters can gather at Civic Center Park, 110 E. Main St., from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The nonprofit is asking people to watch, ride, donate or sponsor the effort. ### What is the money supposed to pay for? Downtown San Jose is where Pathway Society says it is opening the new detoxification facility. (pathwaysociety.org) The group said the fundraising goal is not the building shell itself but the items needed to make the center operational, including medical equipment, beds and furnishings, and program supplies. Sponsorship materials for the event also say proceeds will help furnish the new withdrawal management facility. July 18, 2024, was the date state officials and Pathway Society broke ground on the project. The California Department of Health Care Services said then that it had awarded the nonprofit more than $6.4 million through the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program, or BHCIP, to expand treatment capacity. (pathwaysociety.org) ### How big is the detox project? The state-funded project is designed as a new withdrawal management facility next to Pathway House in San Jose. The Department of Health Care Services said the new facility would expand withdrawal-management bed capacity by 14 and bring Pathway Society’s total bed capacity to 86. Earlier local reporting described the project as a 30-bed stand-alone detox center that would allow existing space to be repurposed for residential treatment. (dhcs.ca.gov) Pathway Society said the new center is scheduled for completion in August 2026. The organization has framed the current fundraising effort around making sure the facility opens fully equipped and staffed. ### Why is a nonprofit with state funding still raising money? More than $6.4 million in state money was awarded for construction, according to the Department of Health Care Services. (dhcs.ca.gov) Pathway Society’s current appeal says the nonprofit still needs community support for operational and furnishing costs tied to opening the facility with what it called dignity and excellence. The East Bay Times reported on May 17 that budget cuts had become the nonprofit’s “biggest challenge,” prompting the ride fundraiser. (pathwaysociety.org) Gary Montrezza said at the 2024 groundbreaking that the new facility would expand “sorely needed capacity” for substance-use services. State officials said the project is intended to serve Medi-Cal members, people experiencing homelessness and people involved in the justice system. ### Who is Pathway Society and who would the facility serve? (dhcs.ca.gov) Pathway Society is a Santa Clara County nonprofit that provides substance-use treatment and related services. The Department of Health Care Services said its programs include withdrawal management, medications for addiction treatment, incidental medical services, and residential and intensive outpatient treatment. (dhcs.ca.gov) Santa Clara County has long faced gaps in detox capacity, according to prior local reporting on the state grant. The new facility is intended to add dedicated withdrawal-management space while preserving or expanding residential treatment capacity at the organization’s existing site. May 21 is the next public milestone. (dhcs.ca.gov) Pathway Society said the Recovery Ride will culminate with the evening event in Los Gatos, while the new downtown San Jose detox facility remains on track for completion in August 2026. (pathwaysociety.org) (sanjosespotlight.com)