It will be a few weeks yet before its fully operating, but a new organization hopes to use $3.4 million in state funding over a five-year period to curb the Northwoods’ appetite for heroin and other opiates ..
State officials and legislators met Friday in Minocqua with service providers from a five-county area to announce the initiative funded by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
The first-year’s grant of $688,000 is going to the Family Health Center of Marshfield, Inc. Individuals addicted to opiates in Oneida, Vilas, Iron, Forest and Price counties will now get additional services from 18 organizations partnering in this venture.
One of those partners is Bob Kovar from Tribal Services for Marshfield Clinic Center for Community Outreach....
"....our charge with the grant is to try and figure out how to pull all that together so we provide a system where people are addicted to opiates in this region are going to have access to services..."
Kovar says the problem began to soar five years ago – fueled in part by overprescribed painkillers .Some of the highest numbers of controlled substance prescriptions are in this region, according to one monitoring service.
Cut off from legally prescribed opiates, some people turn to heroin – cheaper and easier to get in many instances.
People wanting more information can call Kovar, 715-358-7308.
