On busy days, Durango resident Lacey Meador works a double shift at Chimayo Stone Fired Restaurant, knowing all the while she could be called at any moment for a random drug screening, which requires her to get tested within two hours.

Meador, 25, received a DUI in June, and was, at one point, subject to 10 to 12 random tests a month. She admits the offense was wrong but can’t help but acknowledge the incredible demands, financially and time-wise, that go with the punishment of drunken driving.

“I’m a floor manager and can only be gone for a certain amount of time,” she said. “I can’t go and wait 30 minutes.”

Luckily for Meador and others in a similarly tough spot, a new drug and alcohol testing company in Durango now offers mobile as well as in-office screenings.

Mobile Jo Durango is the first of its kind in the city. Whereas other services require clients to come to their offices, Mobile Jo will travel to anyone in need of testing in the Four Corners area, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“They are always very thorough and a lot quicker,” Meador said. “I can take a 10-minute break at work, and I’m in and I’m out. A small convenience goes a long way. It really does.”

Currently, there are only two facilities certified to provide court-ordered drug tests: Hilltop House, part of the Southwest Colorado Community Corrections, and Mercy Regional Medical Center. Both locations are outside of downtown Durango.

“Most clients who get in trouble for a drug- or alcohol-related charge, or even sometimes people charged with a crime and not sentenced yet, have to get tested as a condition of bond or parole,” said Stephanie Mueller, owner of Preferred Counseling Services.

Mueller has specialized in addiction counseling since 1990. She said many people with alcohol or drug charges lose their driver’s licenses and have trouble getting from their job or home to one of the two testing facilities. That can lead to even more violations, which is why she recommends her clients use Mobile Jo.

“It’s a way to set the clients up for success instead of failure,” Mueller said. “It’s not just getting to a drug test, it’s getting to their job, picking up their kids, going to the grocery store. A lot of people who get in trouble want to change their behavior. Part of that is the punishment, which motivates them not to do it again, but in the meantime, (missing a test) is a real concern for them.”

A mission to help

Mobile Jo Durango was founded last summer by Joanna Nelson-Atencio, who was looking to ease those very struggles and provide options for people in need of quick, easy and convenient testing.

She’s had a long history of caring for those with substance abuse problems. Her father, Patrick Nelson, is a longtime doctor in Durango, so she grew up with a figure looking out for others’ well-being.

Nelson-Atencio’s own test came when she started her family. She said her husband, whom she married in 1991 and divorced in 2000, suffered from drug addiction, and she spent years caring for him.

“It took a huge impact on our family,” she said. “We tried to help him. He’s a huge part of our family, but he’s battled it for years. We wanted to, as a family, help people in that situation.”

She and her family have done just that.

Nelson-Atencio said she still cares for her ex-husband, and said their daughter, Lauren, is studying to become an substance abuse counselor at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.

With Mobile Jo, Nelson-Atencio has found her calling.

“When I looked more into it, I saw so many people in Durango having a hard time getting to places,” she said. “I wanted people to have choices. I wanted to offer them a convenient, safe, low key place to go. Or we could go to them.”

Mobile Jo offers a number of testing services, including rapid drug screening, urine testing and breath/alcohol testing, among others. She’s certified to test court-ordered clients, but also serves athletes, students and private calls as well as pre-employment screenings.

Rising demand for services

Stephen Wells, a criminal defense attorney, said the opening of Mobile Jo couldn’t come at a better time. He expects the number of required drug screenings is only going to increase.

“The courts have determined it costs a lot of money to keep people in jail,” Wells said. “So the courts are giving lower bonds people can afford. But with lower bonds they want to monitor them more. The courts want to make sure they’re going to show up for court, but they also want to protect the community.”

Mueller added that people in the court system range from those who made a stupid mistake to those suffering from a serious addiction, and services like Mobile Jo can help keep clients from getting stuck in the legal system.

“If we do nothing for them, they’re definitely going to commit another crime,” she said. “I understand they are criminals by definition, but they’re like you and me. Some people just make stupid mistakes or it’s a consequence of an addiction. The more services we have to help people succeed, the better.”

jromeo@durangoherald.com