The University of Wisconsin Health Compass Program, a walk-in treatment clinic for individuals with substance use issues, recently completed its first year of operation. Located at the UW Health Clinic on South Park Street, the program began seeing patients January of 2024 and has since expanded its services, according to an announcement on the UW Health website.
After its initial opening, Compass was only open two days a week. Currently, it operates three days a week — Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday with increased staff, according to the announcement.
The clinic provides walk-in access to care and is designed to support patients regardless of their insurance. Patients can also be referred by a physician, emergency department or agency, according to UW Health.
Compass provides a range of services such as medication-assisted treatment, wound care, testing and treatment for various infections and basic family planning, according to the medical director of the Compass Program, Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar. The team consists of physicians, practice providers, nurse care manager, medical assistant, peer support specialist and a recently added social worker, Salisbury-Afshar said.
Salisbury-Afshar and the team help address beyond just medical needs, often supporting patients through housing assistance, food and clothing. She emphasized the importance of assessing the needs of the patients and providing them with effective care.
“It’s being responsive to the community … [and] being able to support people to find the services that they need,” Salisbury-Afshar said.
As of March 2025, the program had served 128 unique patients. Of those, 31 received care funded through a state-funded grant, which covers treatment, labs and medication for uninsured individuals, according to the UW Health website.
But the grant is set to expire in September 2025, Salisbury-Afshar said.
“Come October, we’ll still be able to offer services, but we won’t have a way to offer those services at no cost if we don’t identify an alternative funding source,” Salisbury-Afshar said.
The program’s clinic and staff will exist similarly to now, but patients without insurance will not be able to seek help free of charge, according to Salisbury-Afshar. The program is currently exploring options for continued funding
The Compass Program’s funding has not yet been impacted, but they are still on the hunt for an alternate funding source, as are many other federally funded programs.
“If other programs around us get [funding] cut, that does impact the entire community … It is kind of like a domino effect,” Salisbury-Afshar said.
