'The road to recovery': Milwaukee County allocates $8.5M in opioid settlement funds to treatment, prevention projects

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — Last year, Milwaukee County received $102 million from a settlement with opioid manufacturers, the largest allocation in Wisconsin.

County leaders are using that money to fight the opioid crisis as it continues to impact our community.

County Executive David Crowley held a bill signing Monday at Serenity Inns, a treatment center for men, that recently expanded in Milwaukee's Midtown neighborhood.

The county is working to grow similar programs and prevent opioid deaths.

"What it's done for me is allowed me to get my life back," said Walter Williams, a resident at Serenity Inns for five months.

Williams says treatment has saved his life, after six overdoses during active opioid addiction.

"Once I put that stuff in my body, it was just an ongoing situation. I didn't see a way out. Coming to treatment actually helped me to find a way out," Williams said.

That positive outcome is what county leaders are hoping for, as Crowley signed legislation that allocates $8.5 million in opioid settlement funds to seven projects in the next three years.

"I believe that efforts that we are funding today will not only be impactful - that they're going to help folks stay on that road to recovery. Keep them on their journey," Crowley said Monday.

The projects will be aimed at opioid use recovery and prevention by expanding resources for harm reduction, first responders, and at-risk individuals.

They will primarily be implemented through the Office of Emergency Management and Department of Health and Human Services.

"The tragic reality is that substance use disorders can affect anyone, regardless of your age, your gender, your geographical status, your socioeconomic status," Crowley said.

As services grow, Williams hopes to see holistic programs like Serenity Inns that help with more than just getting clean.

"I'm learning I just really want to live. For a long time, I couldn't see myself living. Now I see myself living in everything I do," Williams said.

As of Sept. 1, there have been 212 opioid-related deaths this year in Milwaukee County.

However, the county reports a decline in overdose deaths so far, compared to the last four years.

Click here to learn more about the seven projects that will be funded by this legislation.