MADISON, Wis. – The UW Health Compass Program, an innovative walk-in treatment model for people who use substances including alcohol, recently expanded hours of operation due in large part to funding from the national opioid settlement agreement.
In 2021, Wisconsin joined several other states and municipalities in suing major pharmaceutical companies that produced opioid pain medications, pharmaceutical distributors and pharmacy chains in the United States that helped fuel the opioid epidemic of the early 2000s. The defendants in the litigation have settled many of the cases, and the money is being conveyed to states to distribute for efforts to combat opioid addiction. In Wisconsin, the state receives 30% of the money received, while the other 70% is given to local entities to distribute.
The Compass Program, located at the UW Health 1102 S Park St Clinic, started seeing patients in January 2024 and has grown gradually since then, initially with the help of grant funding from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, and more recently with Dane County opioid settlement funding allowing for a valuable increase in patient access, according to Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, medical director, Compass Program, and addiction medicine physician, UW Health.
Initially, the Compass Program was open only two days a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. As the number of patients seeking care grew, along with support from Dane County opioid settlement funds, the program expanded to four days per week, Tuesday through Friday, she said.
The program encourages new patients to walk in and be seen on a first-come, first-served basis on Tuesday and Friday mornings, recognizing that this flexible model is important for many people with substance use disorders.
The funding also allows the Compass Program to continue providing care at no cost to uninsured Dane County residents, including medical visits, laboratory testing and medications to treat substance use disorders.
“We could not have been able to expand our services without the great cooperation of the Dane County Executive and Board of Supervisors,” Salisbury-Afshar said. “By directing this funding to our program we can help those in our community most hurt by the opioid epidemic and others impacted by substance use disorders.”
The Compass clinical care team includes a social worker, physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant, nurse care manager, medical assistant and peer support specialist. The clinical team can prescribe medications for opioid and other substance use disorders, provide basic wound care, hepatitis testing and treatment, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment and basic family planning services. The program is not a detox facility, but the team will work with patients who need higher levels of care and help link them to those services.
While Compass is available to patients who self-refer, people are also frequently referred to the program by a primary care physician, emergency department, outreach groups or other social service agencies.
As of August 2026, the program has seen 275 unique patients since its opening and has completed more than 2,700 visits.
“Our goal is to build a program that responds to the needs of our community and continues to grow and adapt as those needs change,” Salisbury-Afshar said. “We want to provide a flexible, low-barrier model that meets people where they are and makes it possible for them to receive care when they are ready. Opioid settlement funding has been essential to expanding that work, and additional public and private support helps us continue to respond to what our patients and community need.”