Help Is on the Way for Substance Use Disorder in Northern Michigan

Traverse City’s Addiction Treatment Services to unveil plans for new facility at Art of Recovery 2026

According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), 8.2 percent of Michigan adults currently experience substance use disorder (SUD).

Opioids, synthetic drugs, alcohol, and prescription medications still drive the majority of health concerns and emergency responses. While overdose deaths are trending down (1,800 in 2025 compared to 3,096 in 2021), the total number of people struggling with SUD in Michigan has stubbornly remained at about 1.5 million residents.

Studies show that SUD rates remain high because only about 10 to 15 percent of people with a substance use disorder receive treatment. In Traverse City, plans are underway to close that treatment gap.

Big News from ATS

Traverse City-based nonprofit Addiction Treatment Services (ATS) is working on a new way to deliver essential care to those in need across the state.

“For over 10 years, we’ve had the goal to consolidate our 11 properties and move onto one campus,” says Paula Lipinski, CEO of ATS.

Lipinski gives us a sneak peek at what she and her team will be announcing on Oct. 1 at Art of Recovery 2026, ATS’s annual fundraiser. “We have plans in the works for a new headquarters, which will be a state-of-the-art addiction treatment facility in northern Michigan,” she says. “This new facility will be located in Traverse City and will allow ATS to provide the full spectrum of substance use disorder treatment, all under one roof.”

Plans for a new facility have been in the works since 2016, but the need for one has never been greater than it is today. According to analysis by the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, a public health research institute, sweeping federal Medicaid cuts by the Trump Administration, coupled with new work requirements and a failure to renew the COVID-era enhanced health insurance subsidies, have meant that between 4.9 and 10.1 million people currently receiving or eligible for Medicaid-covered SUD treatment have either already been taken off of Medicaid or are at risk for losing their insurance between now and 2028.

On the provider side, funding shortfalls have also forced treatment centers that rely on Medicaid funding to significantly curtail services, often leading to waiting lists for patient care.

“We can’t control what the government does, but we can control what we as providers do to ensure members of our community get the care they need,” Lipinski says. “Our consolidation of our 11 properties into one, integrated care facility will make our organization exponentially more efficient while also enabling us to provide a more comprehensive suite of services to those in need.”

Lipinski frames the new facility as a way to ensure ATS continues to serve the community no matter what.

“We are seeing more people with SUD lose their Medicaid coverage, and we are having to work with scholarships, grants, and community donors more so than ever before, so our mandate is to streamline our operations and adapt to more complicated and limited funding models,” she says.

A Full Complement of Care

ATS’s new facility, which Lipinski says is on a three- to five-year timeline, will bring a new level of accessible, essential care to northern Michigan. The facility, to be constructed by Cunningham-Limp and designed by Cornerstone Architects, will house ATS’s full suite of services, including:

Withdrawal Management, the medically managed withdrawal from alcohol, opioids, and other drugs; Residential Services, including 30- and 60-day programs for addressing SUD in a safe, supportive community; Recovery Housing, a nine-month stay to support individuals in their transition to more permanent housing; Outpatient Services, including meetings, group therapy, counseling, assessments, and case management; and Family Services, featuring support programs for the loved ones of people with SUD.

Lipinski says that, rather than spreading ATS employees across Grand Traverse County at different properties, the new facility will also house all of ATS’s administrative offices, streamlining operations.

Learn more about Addiction Treatment Services at addictiontreatmentservices.org.

“The Ripple Effect: The Art of Healing Together”

More details about the new facility will be revealed on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 5:30pm at the City Opera House.

“The Ripple Effect reflects something we see every day at ATS,” Lipinski says. “Recovery rarely impacts just one person. When an individual begins to heal, that change reaches their family, their relationships, their workplace, and ultimately our entire community.”

The ATS fundraiser will feature storytelling from individuals and families impacted by addiction and recovery. The evening will also include strolling food stations, a custom coffee station, local art, community experiences, and a raffle.

Lipinski concludes, “Our work is possible because this community continues to believe that people can recover, families can heal, and everyone deserves the opportunity to build a life beyond addiction.”

Art of Recovery is free to attend, but ATS asks guests to RSVP in advance to reserve their spot at addictiontreatmentservices.org/media/ats-art-of-recovery-2026.

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