Waukesha County has launched a new, four-tiered approach to try and combat opiate overdose deaths in our area.
The plan, announced on Monday morning, is funded by a state grant for $225,000 per year over the next five years.
It calls for:
- A county-wide environmental scan to identify risk and protective factors
- Free community-level trainings on the administration of opiate reversal agent Naloxone, along with the free distribution of Naloxone kits
- Opiate overdose prevention education sessions throughout Waukesha County
- County crisis worker outreach to users who have experienced a drug overdose
"This touches every life we have in this community," said Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow.
Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel, who was present at Monday's announcement, said he hopes training more people to administer Naloxone to someone who's overdosing could save lives in the future.
"If we don't start getting more people able to do the drug treatment that we're aware of, we're not going to dig our way out of this," Schimel said.
Be sure and watch TODAY'S TMJ4 on Roku! We are the only station in Milwaukee to provide the latest news, weather and sports on the device. Search for us on Roku today!