The Dewey Center for drug and alcohol treatment was opened by Aurora Health Care in Wauwatosa last month.
Seeking help and treatment for loved ones who are dealing with an opioid addiction is a struggle Franklin mother Michelle Jaskulski knows all too well. Her two young boys, now men, are currently in recovery after dealing with addictions to heroin for six years.
“I was so lost and alone when I first learned of their addictions,” said Jaskulski. “When I initially found it, I didn't understand the severity of the issue. I also felt embarrassed and ashamed. For about a year I struggled with depression. I didn't tell anyone about what was happening, including my family and close friends.”
Jaskulski is hoping that her new position as the national community engagement director with the Addiction Policy Forum (APF), a national nonprofit committed to elevating awareness about addiction and treatment, will help end this issue.
Local woman Michelle Jaskulski is the national community engagement director with the Addiction Policy Forum.
The APF is just one organization that has recently opened a resource in Wisconsin for those struggling with addiction, as the Addiction Resource Center (ARC) was launched Monday. The Addiction Resource Center is an interactive online portal designed to help individuals and families struggling with addiction. It includes a national resource line staffed by social workers and addiction counselors and provides databases for treatment options available in the area.
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The portal comes as the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner reported 168 overdose deaths in Milwaukee County so far in 2018. The Addiction Policy Forum is hoping to slow down the rate of overdoses by encouraging individuals to use ARC to make a proposed action plan for recovery.
“When I was looking for treatment resources, I didn’t know who to ask—actually I was still too ashamed to even tell most people about our family’s struggle,” said Jaskulski. “Having a central location online for finding the help you need will be a huge time saver and relief to families who are likely in a crisis situation.”
Another center for alcohol and drug addiction treatment opened last month in Wauwatosa. Aurora Health Care opened the Dewey Center on July 24. The center includes 30 rooms for residential treatment, while offering a program where patients can receive both group and individual treatment.
“Recovery can often be a long, hard road, and the new center will hopefully be a beacon of hope for the many lives the center will touch in the years to come,” said Lance Longo, M.D., a psychiatrist with the Aurora Psychiatric Hospital.
Tools like this are something that Alderman Michael Murphy says are critical to ending this epidemic across Wisconsin and the nation.“Treatment is a key component,” said Murphy. “Clearly having additional options for people to seek out and get help is critical if we are going to make any headway to reducing the public health crisis we face.”
The numbers are staggering. In 2016 alone, Wisconsin saw more than 1,000 deaths from drug overdoses. Opioids accounted for 81% of those deaths. Milwaukee County also saw 337 opioid-related deaths in 2017.
Jaskulski is hopeful that this new resource will help Milwaukee residents in the fight against addiction.
“Being able to promote this sort of ‘one stop shop’ to the people I encounter daily can be the difference that someone needs to make a positive change, start in a new direction and possibly save a life,” she said.
To learn more about the variety of treatments offered through Aurora Behavioral Health Services, visit www.aurora.org/behavioralhealth.
