Battle Against Opioid Epidemic in Kenosha County, Wisconsin Gets More Support with CleanSlate’s New Center for Medication-Assisted Treatment
The opioid epidemic has been keenly felt in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, which ranks first out of 72 state counties for heroin-related deaths and hospital encounters involving heroin. After Milwaukee, Kenosha is the city with the next highest opiate deaths per capita in the state, with a 388% increase in overdose deaths in 2017 over the previous eight years.
But as with so many areas around the country, addiction treatment resources are scarce in Kenosha County. This is especially true when it comes to high-quality outpatient services for medication-assisted treatment (MAT).
CleanSlate Outpatient Addiction Medicine is addressing this deficit by opening a second MAT center in the area, located at 7201 Green Bay Road, Suite D, where staff began seeing patients last week. CleanSlate participates in-network with most Medicaid and commercial providers in the state of Wisconsin so that patients can be treated with minimal or no financial burden.
Kenosha County leaders have been doing important work to battle the opioid epidemic, and CleanSlate is supporting this fight, said Anthony Belott, Chief Development Officer of CleanSlate. Increasing access to MAT services in Kenosha will help us save more lives.
(Pictured, CleanSlate staff, l-r: Katy Wallner, Medical Assistant; Sarah Howe, Nurse Practitioner; and Courtney Bain, Center Manager.)
Residents were driving long distances for treatment
This marks CleanSlate’s seventh center in Wisconsin, with more than 60 centers across the country.
Last December, CleanSlate opened its first Kenosha addiction treatment center, located within the offices of Oakwood Clinical Associates, a behavioral consulting clinic which serves as a partner with CleanSlate in the Salem community. CleanSlate’s alliance with Oakwood Clinical Associates allows CleanSlate and Oakwood Clinical Associates to navigate patients through the continuum of care, helping people more easily access low-cost services they may need to achieve or maintain recovery.
Before we opened an office in Kenosha, many residents were driving long distances to receive treatment at our centers in Racine and Milwaukee, said Joan Erwin, CleanSlate’s Senior Vice President of Expansion Operations. The community has been grateful for our presence here, and expanding our services in Kenosha will help us meet the high demand for treatment.
Kenosha leaders confronting its opioid crisis, but need more support
Kenosha County leaders have been working on multiple fronts to stem the tide of opioid overdoses that have hit their community. The coordinated response has included increased treatment programs, education, and specialized diversion courts.
After receiving a $300,000 federal grant in 2017 via the CARA Act to combat the opioid epidemic, Kenosha County used those funds to create the Opioid Overdose Reduction Project. Through that grant, the county hired a team of peer specialists to follow up on overdoses and to provide short-term stabilization.
Last year, Kenosha County launched the Narcan Distribution Program, an effort to make the overdose-reversing drug Naloxone more widely available. Kenosha County is also one of many Wisconsin counties that have filed separate federal lawsuits against the makers and distributors of prescription painkillers, which the plaintiffs hold accountable for triggering the country’s opioid epidemic.
But the community continues to need more quality MAT programs to provide ongoing care to patients.
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“Before the doors of the Kenosha center opened, we were greeted by two different families, eager to learn more about us because someone close to them is battling a form of addiction,” said Courtney Bain, CleanSlate Kenosha’s Center Manager. “Someone once told me that you either know an addict or you are one yourself. Addiction can happen to anyone, and CleanSlate helps patients find the road to recovery.”
A model of successful care
A pioneer and leader in outpatient addiction medicine, CleanSlate is a rapidly expanding national medical group that provides treatment for the chronic disease of addiction, primarily opioid and alcohol use disorders. Founded in 2009 in response to the country’s growing opioid epidemic, CleanSlate’s physician-led offices utilize medication treatment, related therapies, and care coordination to treat patients who suffer from addiction, adhering to the highest quality, evidence-based practices.
CleanSlate is actively growing its footprint to expand much-needed access to outpatient medication treatment for addiction. Over the past decade, the company has treated more than 40,000 patients, with 13,000 patients currently being treated in 11 states.
To make an appointment at CleanSlate’s Kenosha center, please call 833-505-4673. To find out more details about this center, click here.
Learn more about CleanSlate at www.cleanslatecenters.com, and sign up for our newsletter to receive regular insights about addiction and the opioid epidemic. To schedule an appointment at any CleanSlate center, please visit https://www.cleanslatecenters.com to find the center nearest you. Most CleanSlate centers accept walk-ins.
For media inquiries, please contact Amy Brunson at abrunson@cleanslatecenters.com
Also read:
Law Enforcement Is Changing Its Response To The Opioid Epidemic. Here’s How.
CleanSlate Targets Area Where Non-Fatal Overdoses Are Highest In Milwaukee County For Its Fifth Addiction Treatment Center In Wisconsin
Choosing The Best Treatment Path For Your Addiction
