A two-day conference this week in Lac du Flambeau will focus education and workshops for the public and professionals to understand a growing opioid problem here and what is being done to combat it.
The Hope Consortium was funded with a grant in 2016 by the state. The grant was for just under $700,000 a year with anticipated funding over five years totaling $3.4 million. The grant was awarded to the Family Health Center of Marshfield on behalf of the HOPE Consortium for a comprehensive program to provide services to people addicted to opioid drugs. Agencies and tribal governments in five counties are involved.
Sheila Weix is Family Health Center-Marshfield Clinic director of substance abuse services says the conference has a broad range of topics, including the use of NARCAN to save lives from overdoses and recovery efforts. She says one group, STEP Industries works with people in recovery and jobs....
"....that is a recovery-based employment group that works out of the Fox Valley. They've had great success with not only people getting to recovery but gaining job skills and becoming very productive members of society. We are focusing on opioids and treatment, but we're also focusing on recovery and all those pieces that help a person move into a normal, productive life...."
Many other topics are on the agenda.
The conference is Thursday and Friday at Lake of the Torches Casino in Lac du Flambeau. More information is at the website hopeconortium.org
Sheila Weix is part of a program WXPR will broadcast Wednesday at 4 p.m. The one-hour program, recorded recently in Minocqua, talks about opioid and other drug problems in the Northwoods, methods of care and pathways to the future. The program will also be on the WXPR website Wednesday
