Connecting the Dots

Welcome to our new newsletter. ​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.

New interventions are looking to break meth addiction. Check out a brief radio interview with partner trainer Dominick DePhilippis, a clinical psychologist with the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia. Listen Here

Peers Add Value to Engaging Communities In case you missed February's ECHO, we covered the importance of peer support. You can check out the archived video at Where and How do Peers Add Value to Women's SUD Recovery? Or see other archived ECHOs at https://www.wisconsinconnect.org/women--sud-echo.html Simply scroll to the bottom of the page to review the archive.

New ASAM ECHO Launching July This ECHO series is based on information found in The ASAM Criteria: Treatment Criteria for Addictive, Substance-Related, and Co-Occurring Conditions, Third Edition and incorporates an opportunity for participants to learn and apply the information through a short didactic presentation and case-based activities. Who Should Participate? Counselors  Social Workers Administrators  Other Members on the Care Team Learn more.

Meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, starting July 20th. Register

National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors' 2021 Women's Services Network Champion Award Goes to Bernestine Jeffers  Bernestine Jeffers has worked within the substance use services system of care in Wisconsin for over 20 years. During this time, Ms. Jeffers has been a champion and advocate for the promotion of substance use disorder treatment best practices, workforce development, and culturally and gender-responsive services. In Ms. Jeffers’s current role as a substance use disorders project strategist, she oversees training and technical assistance for providers across the state of Wisconsin related to addiction treatment best practices. She recently developed a specialized curriculum related to Substance Use Disorders and Pregnancy, and also coordinates Wisconsin’s annual Opioids, Stimulants, and Trauma Summit, which is now in its third year. Ms. Jeffers developed partnerships across state services and providers, including developing supportive relationships with Wisconsin tribal nations to enhance the availability of treatment services, and working with local jails to ensure that pregnant and nursing mothers have access to personal hygiene and breastfeeding supplies. Ms. Jeffers is known to work above and beyond her typical duties and to utilize her personal networks and resources to connect individuals seeking treatment with appropriate care, as well as supporting other professionals in the field with knowledge and training. In addition to her formal duties, Ms. Jeffers has also led and facilitated professional and advocacy groups, including the Wisconsin Opioid Workforce Development Sprint Team and the Greater Milwaukee Synod’s Task Force on Opioid and Substance Use Disorders. Through her longstanding service, Ms. Jeffers demonstrates a deep devotion to improving the lives of Wisconsin women and their families, and continues to contribute her remarkable work as a talented health leader in Wisconsin.  Please join us in congratulating Bernestine on this well-deserved award.

Upcoming Events ECHO is an opportunity for women’s substance use treatment providers to come together with clinicians who provide care to women with substance use disorders to learn and share information and strategies to improve the lives of women, their children, and their families.  The ECHO is conducted monthly for 1 hour and includes a brief educational presentation on a topic of interest, a case presentation by a collaborator, and a discussion on strategies that can help the provider offer the best possible care for the client/patient.   The sessions take place the 2nd Thursday of every month from 11:00 am – 12:00 noon. Register today.

Learn About Future Topics

Upcoming Topics July 8  The Gift of Self-care & Wellness: “You Can’t Give What You Don’t Have”

Upcoming Trainings

Click here below to see all the upcoming trainings and events across topics. Link to Calendar

Have a training interest? Looking for technical assistance? Simply fill out this online form with what you are seeking and we will follow up to further explore your needs.

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Powered in Partnership We do this in partnership with the Bureau of Prevention, Treatment and Recovery within the Wisconsin Department of Health Service's Division of Care and Treatment Services, UW-Milwaukee, and our network of training providers.

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