Welcome to our November newsletter!

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Wisconsin CONNECT is a collaborative. We seek to provide technical assistance and training opportunities for substance use prevention and treatment grantees, providers, clinicians, social workers, and support staff.

We draw on local and national academic and community resources to reduce and prevent substance use and improve overall health and wellness in Wisconsin.

To that end, we want to help you connect the dots with this newsletter. It is a tool to support our efforts to promote new research, share tools and trainings that aim to help you engage in different communities, enhance practice and improve the health of your clients and program participants.

Research Opportunities

from FASD United

FASD United is a proud member of CIFASD, the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. This consortium aims to inform and develop effective interventions and treatment approaches for FASD, through multidisciplinary research involving basic, behavioral, and clinical investigators and projects.

FASD United also offers opportunities from other researchers across the nation and even internationally. Look through the criteria and details to assess whether you want to participate.

And, you can view accumulated published research or submit published research to our weekly newsletter.

Explore opportunities here.

2025 State of Mental Health in America Report

from Mental Health America

Mental Health America recently released the 2025 State of Mental Health in America Report, highlighting the latest national data and state-level rankings on mental health and well-being in the U.S. Through this report, Mental Health America offers critical insights to drive policy, improve care, and support people living with mental health conditions across the county.

Key findings in the 2025 report including:

• Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. adults continue to experience mental illnesses annually
• The prevalence of mental health concerns among adults in the U.S. remained stable from 2021 to 2024, but these rates are still unacceptably high
• Access remains a major barrier to care in the U.S.
• Mental health among youth (ages 12-17) in the U.S. improved significantly from 2023 to 2024. Continued support is needed to sustain these trends

These findings offer critical insights to drive policy, improve care, and support people living with mental health conditions across the country. 

Read more here.

Voices of the Front Lines Podcast

from Samad's House

"New Podcast from Samad’s House Addresses Milwaukee’s Overdose Crisis and Inspires Hope in Black Communities"

Step into the fight against overdose deaths with the Voices of the Front Lines podcast. Host Tahira Malik shares her journey from addiction and incarceration in Milwaukee to founding Samad’s House, one of the Midwest’s leading women’s sober living homes, and a hub for supportive harm reduction services, such as naloxone and fentanyl test strips. We showcase unsung heroes—survivors and devoted neighborhood outreach workers by telling their raw, inspiring stories. We reveal the profound impact of life-saving, compassionate harm-reduction services. Through authentic narratives, Voices of the Front Lines fosters empathy and hope. Join the urgent fight against overdose deaths, which disproportionately strike Black communities.

Read an article by Tahira Malik about the podcast's impact here.

Find episodes here.

Women Initiate Self Healing and Hope

from the City of West Allis

Women Initiate Self-Healing and Home (WISH) is a support, empowerment, and educational group for women who are in or have been in an abusive relationship. The group helps women gain support, insight and strength from other women who have experienced domestic violence. 

WISH provides a safe place to learn about the cycle of violence, gain self-awareness and heal. All services are free and confidential. The program is offered through the West Allis Police Department, in partnership with the Woman’s Club of West Allis.

Topics

• Building healthy relationships.
• Different types of domestic violence.
• Effective communication skills.
• Personal growth and healing.
• Self-awareness and boundaries.
• Self-care and healing.
• The effect of domestic violence on children.

Meeting Groups

WISH support group meets once a week on Mondays from 5:30 to 7 p.m. To reserve a space or for more information, call 414-302-8103.

Visit their website here.

Become A Holiday Hero

from Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin

You Can Be a Holiday Hero!

This holiday season, your organization can help children feel protected, adults heal, and families be cared for. By hosting a Holiday Heroes Drive, you’ll be matched with a Family Services program and receive a wishlist of items that will make a real difference.

Drive windows: Nov 9–22 & Dec 7–20

Choose a one- or two-week period that works for you.

Flexible giving options:

Order from the program’s Amazon wishlist and have items shipped directly to Family Services

Or shop anywhere, collect items, and we’ll provide a donation bin and handle pickup and delivery

When you become a Holiday Hero, you’re not just collecting items — you’re turning wishlists into hope and showing your community the power of generosity. 

Sign up here.

Community Access & Navigation Training Noncredit Certificate

from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

Be A Beacon In Your community

Connect individuals with vital county resources.

Now offering a pilot program to educate health and human service professionals, agencies and other engaged individuals in Sheboygan County on how to overcome any barrier that might impede access to needed services. The goal of the program is to build a bridge to help, connecting individuals with vital county resources that ensure they thrive.

Learn more and register here.

Prevention Training Now!

from SAMHSA

Explore the Strategic Prevention Technical Assistance Center’s Prevention Training Now!

Explore their library of online, interactive training modules specifically designed to support substance misuse prevention practitioners in their prevention efforts.

Training Information

All modules are free and accessible at any time. All you need is a computer or mobile device with a stable internet connection.

Upon completion of each module, you are eligible to receive a Certificate of Completion. Follow the instructions provided at the end of the module to claim your certificate.

View the module library here.

Check out past trainings from Wisconsin CONNECT

This winter, we plan on releasing updated versions of our on demand trainings, including the FASD Program and the SUD Certificate Program.

In the meantime, you can browse our past trainings. Let us know if there's something else you would like us to bring back!

Browse our training page.

Adult Mental Health First Aid

from BHS CARS Prevention

November 21st, 2025

9AM - 3PM CT

Virtual Via TEAMS

This will be the last Adult Mental Health First Aid Training of 2025

The virtual Adult Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adults. Learners complete a 2-hour, self-paced online course before participating in the 6-hour, virtual Instructor-led training.

Who should attend?

• Employers
• Police officers
• Hospital staff
• First responders
• Caring individuals
•  

What it covers:

1. Common signs and symptoms of mental health challenges.
2. Common signs and symptoms of substance use challenges.
3. How to interact with a person in crisis.
4. How to connect a person with help.
5. Expanded content on trauma, substance use and self-care.

Next Steps:

STEP #1: REGISTER BELOW

Please note that registration will end early once the maximum number of participants has been reached. To take part in this training, register by 5 pm on 11/7/2025, through the provided link. 

STEP #2: CREATE A CONNECT PROFILE

Look for an email asking you to create a profile on the CONNECT LMS system. Remember to check your spam and junk folders.  Profiles need to be made one week before the training. Access will be available by 11/14/2025 

STEP #3: COMPLETE THE TWO-HOUR PRE-COURSE

After you've made your profile, you'll receive access to the two-hour virtual pre-course no later than 11/20/2025 

STEP #4: TAKE THE TRAINING

After you complete your pre-course, you'll receive an email with a link to join the virtual training no later than 11/20/2025. This 6-hour virtual training will be facilitated via the Microsoft Teams app. You can download the app in advance to your computer or phone.

STEP #5: RECEIVE YOUR CERTIFICATE 

After the training, you'll receive an email titled "You have completed 11/21/2025 Blended Adult Mental Health First Aid in MHFA Connect, " including your official MHFA certificate. Open the attachment and download your certificate at that time. 

Registrations are manually entered into the system. Please ensure your profile is set up at least 1 week before the start of the training. Profiles created after the allotted timeframe may risk not having access to the training in a timely fashion. 

If you have questions or need further clarification, 

contact carsprevention@milwaukeecountywi.gov

Register here.

Social Connection Awareness Week

Social Connection Awareness Week is November 9-15, 2025. Loneliness effects all generations but particularly young adults.

• The recent Loneliness in America study shows a quarter (24%) of young adults ages 18-29 are lonely, which is nearly two and half times higher than seniors (10%).
• This trend is not new. Young adults ages 18-22 were the loneliest generation in Cigna’s study of American adults in 2018. People who had daily meaningful in-person interactions had an average loneliness score 20 points lower than those who never have in-person interactions. 

Connectedness and belonging are the antidote to loneliness and isolation.

• Feeling connected to your school, or that you belong, is a predictor of positive mental health. School belonging is on the decline in Wisconsin – in the last 10 years there has been a 37% drop in kids feeling like they belong at their school (from 73.7% in 2013 to 53.6% in 2023).
• Toddlers who learn to play well with their peers by age 3 are more likely to have positive mental health later in childhood.

The Wisconsin Coalition for Social Connection has resources available here.

Save the Date for Conferences

FOCUS Conference

November 19-20, 2025

In-person at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay, WI.

Annual Advances in Perinatal-Neonatal Care Virtual Conference

March 4, 2026

Virtual.

Great Lakes Motivational Interviewing Conference

August 6-8, 2026

In-person at the Best Western Premiere Park Hotel in Madison, WI.