United Way to Invest $75,000 in Sixteenth Street Community Health Center, Inc. Waukesha Clinic
April 4, 2018 – MILWAUKEE A grant from United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County will be used to help offset the costs of providing AODA treatment to uninsured patients in Waukesha at the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center, Inc. (SSCHC). SSCHC receives $134 per visit for Medicaid patients, and their sliding fee scale asks uninsured patients for a payment of $10--but the average cost per visit is more than $160. 500 uninsured patient encounters will be covered by these funds.
The Milwaukee and Waukesha communities have been greatly impacted by the increase in heroin and other opioid-related abuse, and service providers are struggling to respond. Consider these statistics: In 2016, there were 60 confirmed drug-related deaths in Waukesha County --- 53 of them opioid-related.
The opioid crisis is taxing southeastern Wisconsin healthcare systems as they respond to the expanded demand for addiction treatment services. One challenge is the ongoing communitywide lack of substance abuse treatment providers, particularly those who speak Spanish. SSCHC opened its Waukesha clinic in 2012 and added substance abuse services the following year. Behavioral Health (BH) and AODA services continue to be in high demand. In 2017, SSCHC had 9,336 BH/AODA appointments --- an increase of 70% from 2016! AODA services spiked 36% from 2016-2017.
Looking specifically at the uninsured served at the Waukesha clinic, in 2017 AODA programming served 162 uninsured patients via a total of 901 patient encounters, and Behavioral Health providers served an additional 189 uninsured patients via a total of 636 patient encounters. Combined, in 2017 Waukesha AODA and Behavioral Health Departments served 351 uninsured patients via a total of 1,537 patient encounters.
About United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County: United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in our local community. We win by Living United. By forging unlikely partnerships. By finding new solutions to old problems. By mobilizing the best resources. And by inspiring individuals to join the fight against our community’s most daunting social crises. Learn more at: http://www.unitedwayGMWC.org
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