New Drug Addiction Treatment Center Opens in Pewaukee

Community Medical Services (CMS) has opened its fifth Wisconsin methadone clinic and drug addiction treatment center at 1611 Silvernail Road in Pewaukee, celebrating with an open house on Tuesday, December 19. The event included a ribbon-cutting ceremony with several members of CMS staff, Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly, Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow, Ginger Kollmansberger (regional director for Senator Ron Johnson) and members of the Waukesha County Business Alliance. 

Farrow said, “We all know someone who’s been touched by addiction and giving them the opportunity to really get the care they need is important. This is going to be an incredible resource, so I thank you in advance for all that you’re going to do to help the people in this community.”

The CMS clinic provides outpatient medication-assisted treatment, including methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone (Vivitrol), combined with counseling and community-based services to those struggling with addiction. It offers peer support, general health screenings, pregnancy support, and psychiatric care for those suffering from both addiction and mental health disorders. The clinic offers same-day treatment and walk-in services, and strives to treat patients with confidentiality and dignity. The clinic hours are:

• Monday – Friday: 5 am – Noon
• Saturday: 6 am – 10 am

As of March 2023, CMS reports that within six months of treatment, it achieves a 16 percent increase in patients finding employment and a 39 percent decrease in patients with unstable housing or homelessness. CMS has 45 clinics across nine states. 

Waukesha County has seen a steady increase in drug overdose deaths since 2016, along with the rest of the country, and the CMS clinic is another key building block in the effort to combat overdoses and help individuals overcome addiction. 

Farrow noted that in 2022, the county officially declared opioid and fentanyl addiction and overdose a community health crisis, and it was the first government entity in Wisconsin to do this. At that time, drug-related deaths had become the leading non-natural cause of death in the county for adults ages 18-45. 

Since then, the County’s Health and Human Services department has marshaled a number of resources to deal with the crisis, including placing overdose aid kits throughout the county, providing training on Naloxone administration to those who are overdosing, and providing a range of drug abuse education and treatment services. Much of this has been funded through the county’s share of a legal settlement with opioid drug distributors. 

The department has also developed a dashboard of overdose data to help identify needs and track progress. It shows that Waukesha County experienced about 100 drug-related deaths per year in both 2020 and 2021, with fentanyl involved in most of those in 2021. In addition, there have been 300 – 350 suspected overdoses that did not result in death from 2018 – 2021. The majority of overdoses are occurring in the cities of Waukesha and Menomonee Falls, but there have been overdoses across the entire county in every zip code. 

Editor’s Note: Article updated December 21 to correct the clinic hours.