New referral contact in central, south Mississippi

Dawn M. Wisdom joins AAC’s Mid-South team in Jackson

People in central and southern Mississippi have a new drug or alcohol addiction resource.
Dawn M. Wisdom, treatment consultant with American Addiction Centers, is the first AAC representative for the southern half of Mississippi. She serves as a point-of-contact for referrals to AAC facilities, including Oxford Treatment Center.

Wisdom is based in Jackson. Her referral area includes Vicksburg, Meridian, Hattiesburg and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

“I have to say that Mississippians are the nicest, most hospitable people,” said Wisdom, who joined the Mid-South team in June from AAC’s corporate office in Brentwood, Tenn.

“When I’ve gone into hospitals to introduce myself or to schedule a lunch-and-learn, everyone has had an interest in what we do,” she said. “I think it’s because we’re so different.”

AAC offers comprehensive, research-based treatment for drug and alcohol addiction at more than 35 locations across the country. In Mississippi, AAC’s Oxford Treatment Center provides medical detox and residential treatment at a 110-acre campus in Lafayette County. Programs are designed to support long-term sobriety, with continuing care and staff-monitored transitional housing nearby at the Oxford Outpatient Center.

Wisdom said the Mississippi professionals she meets are intrigued by the continuum of care at Oxford Treatment Center and other AAC locations, as well as the company’s Brand Promise. Under that guarantee, if someone relapses after successfully completing 90 consecutive days of inpatient treatment as prescribed by counselors at an AAC facility, AAC offers an additional 30 days of treatment at no charge.

“We know that addiction is a chronic disease to manage for a lifetime, with relapse rates similar to those of hypertension and type 1 diabetes,” Wisdom said. “The Brand Promise expresses how serious we are about equipping people for lifelong recovery.”

While AAC does not accept Medicaid, Oxford Treatment Center is in-network with BlueCross BlueShield of Mississippi and accepts most commercial insurance. Since every situation is different, Wisdom and her team work with individuals and families to apply their insurance coverage toward the appropriate level of care and length of stay. Families can also choose to pay privately.

“Coming to AAC has been the most rewarding job of my life.”

Wisdom has been helping people get help for addiction since 2015. She previously worked in financial services, but became interested in addiction and recovery through family experiences.

“Coming to AAC has been the most rewarding job of my life,” she said. “Through the work we do, we’re helping families and saving lives.”

Families face a range of obstacles when it comes to getting a loved one help for addiction. Even getting to the point of deciding to get help is a common challenge, Wisdom said.

“I will have gotten referrals because a young adult is in jail or in the emergency room from an overdose, and still a mother will say, ‘My son or daughter doesn’t have a problem,’” she said. “I hear parents say, ‘We’re going to do this as a family’ or ‘We’re going to take them to church and pray for them.’ While I believe that prayer works, it isn’t a cure for the disease of addiction.

“The good news is that research is pointing the way to ever-more-effective treatment, and that Mississippians can access the highest quality care right in their home state.”

Wisdom is available as a resource on addiction treatment for families and professionals in central and southern Mississippi. To reach her directly, call (601) 966-3674 or email dwisdom@contactaac.com.