For nearly 50 years, Arbor Place, Inc. has served communities in western Wisconsin affected by substance use and mental health challenges. Today, the organization is expanding its focus on pregnant and parenting women, helping families access care while prioritizing connection, stability, and support.
Many of the individuals that Arbor Place serves are navigating not only recovery but also involvement with systems like child protective services and the criminal justice system. For many parents, the stakes of seeking care can feel overwhelming.
“There’s a lot of fear,” Jill Gamez, Arbor Place Executive Director, shared. “Especially for women who are worried about having their children taken away from them.”
That fear can prevent people from even walking through the door. Recognizing this, Arbor Place made a deliberate shift from solely providing treatment to actively working to reduce stigma, build trust, and strengthen connections across systems.
In November 2025, Arbor Place opened a new residential unit specifically designed for women and women with children, made possible through state funding. The vision is simple, but powerful: treatment should not require family separation. The program allows mothers to enter treatment with their young children by their side, no longer choosing between healing and parenting. While mothers participate in treatment, children are cared for in a dedicated on-site space, creating stability, routine, and peace of mind.
For one mother, that change made all the difference.
“I’ve been to treatment before, but I always rushed through it so I could get back to my daughter,” she shared. “Now, I don’t have to do that.”
Arbor Place supports families beyond treatment. Parenting education is integrated into its programming, helping individuals strengthen bonds with their children and build new skills. Staff are also trained as birth and postpartum doulas, providing support during pregnancy and childbirth. In one case, a staff member was the only support person present during a client’s labor. The organization also helps meet practical needs by providing essentials like cribs, car seats, and formula.
A critical part of this work is challenging misconceptions about substance use, especially during pregnancy. Substance use disorder is often viewed simply as a matter of choice or willpower. However, the disorder and its recovery are much more complex, influenced by trauma, mental health, environment, and biology.
“These parents really do love their children,” Jill emphasized. “Sometimes it’s just not that easy. So, let’s give them the help, not the judgment.”
That perspective is essential to helping more families access care. Healthcare providers, often the first point of contact, can help reduce stigma by approaching conversations with openness and without judgment. Even small shifts in language can create a safer space for honesty and connection.
While the women and children’s unit is still growing, Arbor Place remains focused on increasing awareness, strengthening community partnerships, and reducing stigma. But lasting change depends on all of us working together to better support families.
As Jill shared in closing, it starts with a simple but important question:
What can we do better to serve this population?
To learn more about Arbor Place or to make a referral, visit Arbor Place, Inc.
