Milwaukee County is going to receive about $70 million to help treat and support people with substance use disorders. The money comes from a national opioid settlement but it could go towards a wide range of services across the state.
Right now, the county acts as a conduit to help people in need find treatment and housing during recovery. A Wisconsin Policy Forum report finds that this settlement money could improve that system in a variety of ways.
Rob Henken, president of the Wisconsin Policy Forum and the author of the report, says that the $70 million will likely be spread across 18 years and could potentially be used to support those currently using opioids to receive higher-quality treatment and care.
When describing the opioid issue in Milwaukee, Henken says, "Opioid deaths increased from 10.9 per 100,000 residents statewide in 2014. To 21.1 opioid deaths per 100,000 state residents in 2020 in Milwaukee County. The opioid death rate was a staggering 44.6. per 100,000 residents that year."
According to Henken, the funds may also be used to combat another issue that is often overshadowed by the opioid dilemma, which is the continuation of widespread alcoholism in the city. Henken describes persistent alcoholism as an issue because it can lead to other problems of substance use disorders.
Henken says that investing in facilities may be the wisest and most impactful use of the funds in order to improve access to physical spaces to residential facilities for those seeking to get sober.
"Investing in bricks and mortar is an ideal expenditure for these opioid settlement dollars. You don't want to necessarily use these dollars to finance ongoing programs because, eventually, these dollars are going to run out," says Henken.
In addition to providing a facility, Henken says investment in a facility can also provide a means to hire more staff that can help further treat opioid users.
Information technology that can provide real-time updates on patients or substance abuse trends could also be another potential area of use for the funds.
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