Tuesday, May 20, 2025
5/20/2025
El Nuevo Comienzo (ENC) (The New Start) - The United Community Center’s (UCC) El Nuevo Comienzo (ENC) (The New Start) project will expand/enhance access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) services for 332 residents of Milwaukee County with an opioid use disorder (OUD) seeking or receiving MAT. Services will be delivered within the context of UCC’s multi-program community center serving MC’s Hispanic community. While the UCC SUD treatment program serves individuals of all races/ethnicities, in 2019, 30% of those served were Hispanic, about twice the proportion (15.6%) of Hispanics who live in the County as a whole. In 2018, Milwaukee had the 5th highest rate (.49%) of past-year heroin use among the nation’s 60 largest urban areas. According to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s office, 435 people died from opioid overdose in 2020 through October 18th, already the highest annual total ever recorded. At that rate, the total deaths for 2020 would project to full-year total of 523, a greater than 100% increase from just 5 years earlier (255). The zip codes with the most deaths in 2019 were 52204 (38 deaths) and 53215 (46), the two zip codes representing the heart of UCC’s service area. The Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division (BHD), which provides treatment to low-income persons, reports that, in 2019, 26.2% of individuals seeking treatment reported opioids as their primary substance at intake. In contrast, fully 60.2% (404 of 671) of those receiving treatment at UCC in 2019 reported their primary substance as opioids - and 72.4% (218 of 301) of those admitted to residential treatment. UCC will admit persons to ENC who meet criteria for residential level of care. However, the entire continuum of care (day treatment and outpatient) will be available when clients are ready to step down to a lower level of care. UCC operates three residential facilities with 47 beds (15 for men, 32 for women) including family suites so children can reside with their mothers. The major EC treatment framework will be The Matrix Model in combination with onsite MAT provided by an Advanced Practice Nurse Prescriber (APNP) with a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP). Other evidence-based practices include Seeking Safety, to address the trauma histories and symptoms that commonly co-occur with SUD, and Motivational Interviewing. All clients will be assigned a recovery support coordinator (RSC) who will assist them to develop a Recovery Plan of Care (RPOC) based on a comprehensive assessment of their clinical and psychosocial needs as well as those of their family. UCC has put together a robust network of community partners that will offer supportive services from housing to pre/postnatal care, to child/family services, to education/employment services. Measurable objectives include: treatment retention, decreased substance use, decreased mental/health/trauma symptoms, screening for HIV/viral hepatitis, progress on economic self-sufficiency, no new criminal justice involvement, access to stable housing, and connection to social supports.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).