A new drug and alcohol residential treatment facility for women will open in Shorewood, Wis., on June 22, Meta House announced today. Shorewood House will be a division of Meta House, a women’s treatment organization in Milwaukee since 1963.

“We know that drug and alcohol addiction affects women from every walk of life,” said Amy Lindner, president and CEO of Meta House. “But many women fall through the cracks when attempting to get treatment. Most private health insurance plans don’t cover residential treatment, which can cost upwards of $30,000 per month. And a woman with private insurance may not have access to the free programs offered to low-income clients. Shorewood House will fill that gap with a clinically-sound, comfortable residential treatment setting at a mid-range price point.”

Shorewood House will provide women and their families with the same effective treatment philosophies currently available at Meta House’s main Riverwest campus. Clients at Shorewood House will receive holistic services including individual counseling, group therapy, trauma counseling, art therapy, behavioral therapy and other experiential therapies. It will be priced at roughly half the cost of many existing residential treatment programs.

Drug abuse on the rise in Wisconsin

The need for more treatment options has never been greater. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, in 2014, the rate of binge drinking among Wisconsin women of childbearing age was the highest in the nation. The same study found that Wisconsin’s rate of drug-related deaths nearly doubled from 2004 to 2012, with opiate-related overdoses the most frequent cause. Based on the most recent data available from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH, 2014), an estimated 18,657 women in Milwaukee alone are struggling with drug and alcohol addiction.

Increasing treatment options, new revenue stream

Shorewood House will increase access to treatment for many women and families while it also creates a financially sustainable revenue stream for the organization, thus improving availability of all Meta House programs.

“It’s no secret that organizations like us have seen government funding decline sharply,” says Lindner. “While this support is still critical, we knew that along with our generous donors, we needed a new way to support the vulnerable women and children we already serve. Shorewood House fulfills two incredibly important goals — extending treatment to more women who need it, and helping ensure Meta House’s continued care for all the clients we serve.”