The Board of Zoning Appeals from the City of Milwaukee confirmed that the appeals application to open an outpatient opioid treatment center in the 800 block of S. Layton Blvd in the Southside of Milwaukee has been pulled by Community Medical Services.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
May 6, 2021
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Thursday, the Board of Zoning Appeals (BOZA) confirmed to Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) that the Community Medical Services (CMS) had pulled its appeals application from further consideration. CMS was considering in opening an outpatient opioid treatment center at 823 S. Layton Blvd in Milwaukee, according to Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa from the 8th Aldermanic District who opposed an outpatient opioid treatment center in the area.
Ald. Zamarripa had sent out an advisory letter to certain residents from her Aldermanic District office saying that after reviewing the proposed plan by CMS to open an outpatient opioid treatment center in her district that she does not believe the location is suited for this business.
CMS was scheduled for a BOZA appeals public hearing for May 6, but the BOZA hearing was rescheduled for May 13 and CMS's appeal was pulled by the applicant and is no longer under consideration.
Zamarripa in a letter sent to local residents said, that she had also sent a letter of opposition concerning the outpatient opioid treatment center project to BOZA. Zamarripa in the letter didn't mention or proposed an alternative location in her district, which seems to indicate that she is oppose of having an outpatient opioid treatment center in the district.
HNNUSA has reached out to CMS for comments on their decision to pull their application from BOZA, but was unsuccessful.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office (MCMEO) recently released that there were 74 probable OD's (drug overdose deaths) so far in 2021, compared to 511 OD's in 2020 and 418 OD's in 2019.
Also in 2017, there were 101 fentanyl-related deaths reported compared to 96 in 2016, according to the MCMEO.
The MCMEO also reported in 2020 that 58 percent of the 435 confirmed victims were white, while 28 percent of the victims were Black, and 9.4 percent were Hispanic. Which, a total of 65 Southside residents from the 53215 (35 victims) and 53204 (30 victims) ZIP code areas in Zamarripa's 8th Aldermanic District died from drug overdoses in 2020.
Update: Substance abuse services will be offered in the 53204 ZIP code by Sixteen Street Health Centers (SSCHC) in collaboration with the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division in Alderman Jose Perez's 12th Aldermanic District in the Southside of Milwaukee.
In 2020, the SSCHC located on S. Cesar E. Chavez Drive, which provides Primary Care medical services bought the Badger Mutual Insurance Co. headquarters building at 1635 W. National Ave. including the parking lot property at 1551 W. National Ave. and three other properties located at 824, 828 and 834 S. 17th Street for $2.6M with funding totaling $3.7M provided as a gift by Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network.
The SSCHC will offer a behavioral health care and alcohol and substance abuse services at the new site in collaboration with the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division, which will lease 5,000 square feet of the former Badger Mutual Insurance building and will also provide walk-in and mobile services at the new site.
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