24 Lives Saved From Drug Overdoses In Waukesha: Report

WAUKESHA, WI — Waukesha County officials have announced that more than twenty lives have been saved and hundreds trained in the first year since the county kicked off a four-tiered opioid overdose prevention plan.

“In just one year, our work plan has helped mobilize members of the community to take the fight against opioids to the next level,” said Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow. “This plan uses data to help deliver targeted education, training and outreach, and it’s showing results.”

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Hear from Waukesha first responders and police officers who respond to calls that result in saving the lives of people suffering from drug overdoses.

Since Waukesha County kicked off its plan in May 2017, officials say the Department of Health and Human Services has:

• Saved 24 lives, according to reports to HHS from individuals who had participated in the Opioid Overdose Education Trainings and received Narcan kits. Narcan is a powerful drug reversal agent.
• Conducted 162 Opioid Overdose Education Trainings for 1,998 people, and has distributed 1,851 Narcan kits free of charge.
• Trained 378 police officers in 9 municipal police departments
• Conducted 16 educational sessions for 979 people, without Naloxone distribution
• Provided direct outreach to 145 individuals who have recently experienced an opioid overdose

About Waukesha County’s Plan to Fight the Opioids Crisis

Waukesha County’s plan is funded by the state’s participation in the Wisconsin Prescription Drug/Opioid Overdose-Related Deaths Prevention Project, a federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The County’s plan trains first responders and other key community sectors using four main prevention and treatment strategies:

• A county-wide environmental scan to identify risk and protective factors
• Free community-level trainings on the administration of the opiate reversal agent Naloxone (Narcan) and distribute free kits containing Naloxone
• Opiate overdose prevention education sessions in the county
• County Crisis Worker outreach to users who have experienced an overdose

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