DHS Awards $8 million for Opioid and Stimulant Treatment Services

Over 4,000 people throughout Wisconsin will have access to treatment for the problem use of opioids or stimulants now through September because of $8 million in grants awarded today by the Department of Health Services (DHS) to three tribal nations and 22 county agencies. Opioids include prescription pain relievers, heroin, and fentanyl. Stimulants include cocaine and methamphetamine.

“Improving access to treatment is a critical part of our plan to reduce the hurt and heartbreak caused by the epidemic of problem drug use we’re living with statewide,” DHS Secretary-designee Kirsten Johnson. “These grants will enable our local partners to remove the financial barriers to effective treatment, allowing more people to experience the promise of recovery. Recovery is possible for everyone.”

The grant awards listed below are based on the level of need for treatment services in the tribal nation or county and the type of treatment services to be provided by each tribal nation and county.

Tribal Agencies

• Forest County Potawatomi: $93,000
• Ho-Chunk Nation: $238,134
• Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa: $268,682

County Agency

• Columbia County: $175,055
• Dane County: $269,535
• Dunn County: $143,646
• Green County: $177,983
• Jefferson County: $116,610
• Kenosha County: $365,214
• La Crosse County: $359,933
• Manitowoc County: $731,590
• Menominee County: $335,323
• Milwaukee County: $1,503,450
• Monroe County: $260,679
• North Central Health Care (Lincoln, Langlade, and Marathon counties): $216,367
• Racine County: $243,107
• Richland County: $129,907
• Rock County: $575,719
• Sauk County: $271,502
• St. Croix County: $259,828
• Unified Community Service (Iowa and Grant counties): $434,778
• Vilas County: $215,582
• Washington County: $231,387
• Waukesha County: $155,367
• Winnebago County: $313,422

This funding will be used to connect people to proven approaches to treatment. For opioid use disorder, this includes a model of care using one of three Food and Drug Administration-approved medications—buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone—as well as therapy and other recovery supports. For stimulant use disorder, this includes cognitive behavioral therapy and a practice known as the Matrix Model, which includes multiple therapies provided in a highly structured environment, as well as additional recovery supports.

People with an opioid or stimulant use concern in need of financial assistance or other support to access treatment should contact their tribal nation or county health and human services agency, even if the agency is not among today’s grant recipients.

These grant awards are funded by Wisconsin’s nearly $34 million share of the latest installment of the two-year State Opioid Response Grant Program through the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. In addition to providing funding for unmet treatment needs, DHS is using the $16.9 million available each year through this program to invest in a variety of prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery projects, including the Dose of Reality and Real Talks Wisconsin initiatives; the distribution of NARCAN®, the opioid overdose reversal medication; and a program focused on connecting people who have experienced an overdose with recovery supports in their community.

Since 2017, more than 17,000 people have been connected to services with this annual funding. That’s when DHS first used federal grant funding focused on addressing the opioid epidemic to support treatment needs identified by tribal nations and counties. This funding began to cover the costs of stimulant treatment in 2020.

Search the Wisconsin Addiction Recovery Helpline’s website or call 211 for information on local treatment and recovery supports.

People interested in learning strategies to build healthy communities are invited to attend the Opioids, Stimulants, and Trauma Summit May 16-18 either in person in the Wisconsin Dells or virtually. Registration is required. The registration deadline is May 11. See the agenda and information on how to register.