OZAUKEE COUNTY — With a large amount of funds from opioid settlements Ozaukee County has received — and with more to come— the Ozaukee County Board’s Health & Human Services Committee last month discussed how to use the money to assist residents impacted by mental health and substance abuse.
The committee received an initial presentation from Behavioral Health Manager Emily Plahna of the county’s Human Services Department about starting a Behavioral Health Day Center.
“It provides almost the exact same intensity of treatment that you get out of an inpatient unit with the exception that you go home at night,” Plahna said, adding that partial hospitalization doesn’t exist in the county.
Patients have expressed that they want to remain in Ozaukee County for treatment, Plahna said.
“They’re not comfortable using the transportation that might be available. It can be pretty hard to navigate those systems,” she said.
County Administrator Jason Dzwinel said Ozaukee County will receive $4.3 million total through 2038; it has already received $1.7 million of that. The settlement funds are from an opioid lawsuit Ozaukee County joined with multiple Wisconsin counties against large retail-chain pharmacies and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
“What that does is allow us to turn to our professionals and say, ‘…how could we best impact the citizens. How can we use those funds to make the best difference?’” said Committee Chairman Pat Foy.
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The county has already used opioid settlement funds toward its two behavioral health co-responder units. The purpose of the team is to promote effective strategies to identify and reduce the risk of harm to individuals with behavioral health needs or those experiencing an acute crisis who encounter law enforcement.
Plahna provided a small sample schedule of the program that would be based on 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday access within the Human Services Department, which is located inside the Ozaukee County Administration Building.
The schedule includes a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, psychoeducation and stages of addiction and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
There is no set length of stay for the partial hospitalization, however, Plahna said 10 to 14 days is the average. The program would be available to adult Ozaukee County residents.
“We would have that dual diagnosis track, so we can service both primary mental health, substance abuse,” Plahna said.
The program would require a medical director, occupational therapist and a case manager or social worker.