For the last 15 years, the Ascension Behavioral Health and Addictions department at Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital - Milwaukee Campus is designed to specifically meet the needs of individuals struggling with addiction, with an emphasis on opioid addiction.
 
It is a patient-centered, comprehensive, evidence-based program that provides a combination of medication management, individual therapy and group therapy. The program is focused on helping underserved and underinsured populations in the Milwaukee area. It provides both inpatient and outpatient services.
 
There are several levels of treatment offered for this population including Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), aftercare, maintenance and individual therapy.
 
“Whatever a patient needs help with, we can assist them,” Ascension Behavioral Health and Addictions Supervisor Kim McCormick said. “Our approach is flexible and each patient’s treatment plan is unique and customized to each patient’s needs rather than a “one size fits all” timeline.”
 
Medication management is offered in combination with IOP treatment which runs three hours a day, three days a week for a duration of six weeks. Patients receive psycho-education as well as therapy support, and successfully transition to aftercare treatment to focus on relapse prevention tools that help improve overall health and well-being 90 minutes a day, two days a week.
 
“In addition to initial treatment methods and care, we also connect our patients with a variety of services, including case management that helps them access resources within the community,” McCormick said.  
 
Individual therapy addresses core issues in the patient's life that contribute to their addiction. The treatment team consists of clinical substance abuse counselors, licensed clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, an RN, a psychiatric nurse practitioner and a psychiatrist.