Marshfield Clinic invests $700K in opioid fight

MARSHFIELD – Marshfield Clinic region of Sanford Health has invested $700,000 in 31 communities across Wisconsin to address the negative impact of opioid and stimulant misuse.

The funds, which come from Wisconsin Department of Health Services opioid response and opioid settlement funds, are dispersed through the Northwoods Coalition, www.northwoodscoalition.org. Formed through a partnership between Marshfield Clinic and several community coalitions in 1995, Northwoods Coalition is the largest and oldest network of coalitions dedicated to substance use prevention in Wisconsin serving 34 counties and 11 Wisconsin Tribal Nations.

The investment in the 31 communities is part of the Northwoods Coalition's plan to fight the opioid epidemic through evidence-based prevention and harm reduction strategies. Wisconsin, like many other states, has been significantly affected by the opioid crisis

“The human, societal and financial toll the opioid crisis has in our communities is tragic," said Jay Shrader, vice president of Community Impact and Social Accountability. “This funding is vital and is one small but important step in supporting our communities in our ongoing battle against opioid and stimulant misuse. Our communities and community partners are on the frontline and know how to best use these funds in their communities."

Funding supports evidence-based practices like drug takeback events, Naloxone distribution, sharps disposal events, community awareness and anti-stigma campaigns, and drug checking technology distribution (fentanyl test strips, xylazine test strips).

Communities also can participate in an opioid academy led by CADCA, a nonprofit organization committed to creating safe, healthy and drug-free communities. The goal of this training academy is to help coalitions create plans for implementing evidence-based practices in their communities using opioid settlement dollars.

Legislative roundtables will give coalitions a chance to showcase their plans to their county-level legislators, in the hopes of getting access to the opioid settlement dollars and putting them to use.

“Additionally, our hope is for state legislators to attend this roundtable and be reminded of the importance of continuing to advocate for opioid prevention and harm reduction funding," Shrader said. “This is an amazing opportunity for communities to organize around the opioid settlement dollars available to them and will be for years to come."

Among the organizations receiving the funding are Marshfield Area Coalition For Youth (DTF), Healthy People Wood County and Marathon County AOD Partnership.