Welcome to our March 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.

The association between neighborhood environment, prenatal exposure to alcohol and tobacco, and structural brain development

from Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

Prenatal alcohol and tobacco exposure affects child brain development. Less is known about how neighborhood environment (built, institutional, and social) may be associated with structural brain development and whether prenatal exposure to alcohol or tobacco may modify this relationship. The current study aimed to examine whether neighborhood environment is associated with brain volume at age 9–11, and whether prenatal exposure to alcohol or tobacco modifies this relationship. Baseline data from Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) study was analyzed (N = 7,887). Neighborhood environment was characterized by 10 variables from the linked external dataset. Prenatal alcohol and tobacco exposures were dichotomized based on the developmental history questionnaire. Bilateral volumes of three regions of interests (hippocampal, parahippocampal, and entorhinal) were examined as outcomes. High residential area deprivation was associated with smaller right hippocampal volume. Prenatal alcohol exposure was associated with larger volume in left parahippocampal and hippocampal regions, while prenatal tobacco exposure was associated with smaller volumes in bilateral parahippocampal, right entorhinal, and right hippocampal regions. In children without prenatal tobacco exposure, high residential area deprivation was associated with smaller right hippocampal volumes. In contrast, neighborhood environment was not significantly associated with brain volumes in children with prenatal tobacco exposure. In summary, neighborhood environment plays a role in child brain development. This relationship may differ by prenatal tobacco exposure. Future studies on prenatal tobacco exposure may need to consider how postnatal neighborhood environment interacts with the teratogenic effect.

Read article here.

Addiction and Disability

What We Know and Need to Know

supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01AA031236

Research shows that people with disabilities use less alcohol and drugs than those without disabilities, but they may begin having problems faster because of their usage. We don’t know if addiction is more common among people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, than people without IDDs. Having an addiction means you feel like you need to use alcohol and drugs, and then use too much. Addictions cause problems in people’s lives because of using alcohol and drugs.

Read the publication here.

Ready to Rescue

from Fight Anxiety, Addiction, and Adversity Corp

Sunday, March 23

Join Fight Anxiety, Addiction and Adversity Corp with UMatter and Vivent Health for a crucial training under their Ready Rescue Initiative. This event is designed to equip community members with life-saving skills to respond to crisis effectively. The event will host QPR Suicide Prevention Training and Narcan Administration Training. All participants will receive official certifications and recognition as a Ready Rescue Guard. There is a $10 registration fee that will be fully refunded upon attendance. The event is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. on March 23 at Tippecanoe Branch Library Community Room, 3912 South Howell Ave., Milwaukee.

RVSP here.

GRASP: Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing

GRASP is a community of support and healing, offering local meetings, resources, and community for those who have lost someone to substance use or addiction. GRASP was created to offer understanding, compassion, and support to those who have lost someone they love through addiction and overdose. The Milwaukee/Greenfield Chapter meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month from 6:30 to 8 p.m. 

Click here to learn more and join your local Chapter.

Upcoming Tuberculosis (TB) Education and Awareness Opportunities

from Wisconsin DHS

Tuesday, March 18

10:00 a.m.

Virtually on Zoom

"Latent Tuberculosis Infection: What You Need to Know" training presented by the Wisconsin Tuberculosis Program and the Mayo Clinic 

The Wisconsin Tuberculosis (TB) Program, in partnership with the Mayo Clinic Center for Tuberculosis (MCCT), is excited to offer a pre-conference training event to the annual Tuberculosis Summit hosted by Public Health Madison and Dane County. The event is titled “Latent Tuberculosis Infection: What you Need to Know” and the intended audience is Wisconsin public health staff and other clinicians who work with clients diagnosed with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Topics include:

• What is LTBI and how is it transmitted?
• Differences between LTBI infection and active TB disease.
• Epidemiology of LTBI.
• Treatment of LTBI.
• Case management and documentation in the Wisconsin Electronic Disease Surveillance System (WEDSS).

Meeting URL: Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 160 088 7036

Passcode: 013091

Please mark your calendars for this exciting training opportunity! Registration is not required. 

Behavioral Health Initiative Wellness Day

from Wisconsin DHS

April 12

Join the Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) for our fourth annual Wellness Day.

This year's event offers many learning opportunities and activities.



There will be workshops designed for individuals within the the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind community, behavioral and mental health clinicians, and interpreters.

Learn more and register here.

Autism, Suicide & DBT

Evidence-based Adaptations to DBT for Autistic Clients with Suicidality

From UW-Green Bay

March 25-27

9:00am - 1:00pm CT

Virtual via Zoom

Autistic youth and adults experience co-occurring mental health conditions at significantly higher rates than their allistic (i.e., non-autistic neurodivergent and neurotypical; Monk et al. 2022) peers, with approximately 20% meeting criteria for an anxiety disorder, 11% for a depressive disorder, and 9% for obsessive-compulsive disorder (Lai, 2023). Autistic people are much more likely to experience suicidality, with a 9-fold risk of ideation, 6-fold risk of attempt, and 5-fold risk of death by suicide (Cassidy et al., 2014; Chen et al., 2017; Kirby et al., 2019; Lai et al., 2023). Despite these elevated rates, mental health providers are not routinely trained in delivering mental health treatment, such as DBT, to Autistic clients and have expressed a lack of competence and confidence in doing so (Maddox et al., 2021). Dr. McVey will use case vignettes, small and large group discussion, and role plays to engage participants.

Learn more and register here.

MATRIX Trainings

from Wisconsin CONNECT

We have MATRIX trainings on the calendar! Here is what's upcoming:

MATRIX Core

Wednesday, March 12 and

Thursday, March 13

9:00a.m.-4:00p.m.

both days

virtual

Register here

Key Supervision

Friday, March 14

9:00a.m.-4:00p.m.

virtual

Register here

For more topics and dates, find them on our MATRIX page.

ASAM Criteria 4th Edition Training

Monday, May 5

8:30am-4:00pm CT

In-person at the Kalahari Resort and Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells

This course is designed to help health care professionals develop patient-centered service plans and make objective decisions during the Level of Care Assessment and Treatment Planning Assessment for individuals with substance use disorders and co-occurring conditions. Participants will learn the basics of the ASAM Criteria, such as the guiding principles, continuum of care, and how to conduct the Level of Care and Treatment Planning Assessments to provide an appropriate level of care recommendation and individualized treatment plans. Further, by using case scenarios, this course will help prepare participants to implement the ASAM Criteria effectively in their practice. The target audience for this course includes beginner, intermediate, and advanced counselors, social workers, administrators, clinical staff, medical students, and any other health care professional who works individuals with substance use disorders and co-occurring conditions.

Breakfast, lunch, and snacks will be provided.

Register here

*This training is a pre-conference event for the 2025 Opioids, Stimulants, and Trauma Summit. You do not have to attend the conference to participate in the pre-conference sessions, though we do encourage you to!*

Reflective Supervision

from UW-Green Bay

March 28

8:30am - 12:30pm CT

Virtual via Zoom

Reflective Supervision is an empowering professional development approach that managers and other supervisory roles embrace to efficiently support the growth of their direct service team. During the course of a supervision encounter the supervisor guides the staff person through the following conversation structure.

The skills needed to achieve the effect and efficiency of Reflective Supervision are found in Motivational Interviewing and include: empathetic listening and use of active listening skills. Reflective Supervision is enhanced by the expression of the Spirit of MI (Partnership, Acceptance, Compassion, and Evocation). Reflective Supervision is a broadly embraced model that supports a Trauma Informed service environment. Embracing Cultural Reverence supports culturally responsive supervisory relationships in diverse teams.

The outcome of utilizing reflective supervision include: staff who are able to achieve increasing degrees of critical thinking aligned with the values and direction of their supervisor and organization, decreases in burn-out and compassion fatigue, as well as increasingly targeted and efficient professional development meetings.

Learn more and register here.

Opioid Use Disorder Webinars

from The Periscope Project

The Periscope Project is hosting a 4-part series focusing on perinatal opioid use disorder. These one-hour webinars are offered at no cost. To learn more and register, visit Webinars – The Periscope Project

Session #1: Strength-Based Approach to Support Pregnant and Postpartum People with Substance Use Disorder 

Description: An engaging panel discussion focused on the clinical, ethical, and legal complexities of caring for pregnant and postpartum individuals with substance use disorders. This one-hour session will explore the intersection of healthcare, ethics, and law in supporting this vulnerable population. The panel discussion will equip healthcare providers with the knowledge and resources needed to holistically care for these individuals. 

Objectives:  

Participants who engage in this education intervention will be able to: 

• Describe the clinical, ethical, and legal intersection when caring for pregnant and postpartum people with substance use disorders 
•  Recite and outline strength-based strategies to promote family unification 
• Identify local and national community partners who can help you holistically support pregnant and postpartum patients in their recovery

Recording can be viewed here: Webinars – The Periscope Project

Session #2: Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Now its called NOWS! 

Description: This session provides an in-depth exploration of Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS), formerly known as Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). Participants will gain insights into the clinical presentation of NOWS, its diagnostic criteria, and how these differ from NAS. We will also discuss the impact of management strategies on outcomes, including the role of various pharmacological interventions such as methadone, buprenorphine, morphine, clonidine, and phenobarbital. Please note, while specific drug names will be mentioned, no particular agent is endorsed during the talk. 

Objectives:  

• Identify the clinical presentation of NOWS 
• Contrast diagnostic criteria for a diagnosis of NAS vs NOWS 
• Distinguish how management of NOWS impacts outcomes 

Session #3: (details coming) Topic is Harm Reduction

August 22, 2025 : 12-1p

Session #4: (details coming) Topic is Opioid Use Disorder in Perinatal Patients including Pain Management

October 17, 2025 : 12-1p 

Methamphetamine and Fentanyl in Pregnancy Training

Friday, March 14

12:00-1:00pm ​Time CT

Virtual

In partnership with The Periscope Project and the Wisconsin Association for Perinatal care, Wisconsin CONNECT is putting on an hour long conversation with Marcela Smid, MD, MA, MS. Join us to learn about evidence informed approach to harm reduction, overdose prevention and optimizing prenatal outcomes.

​Who should attend? 

While this is primarily targeted towards clinicians, there was lots of editorializing to make relevant for social workers, peer support, etc.

Register and learn more here.

Adult Mental Health First Aid

from Community Advocates Public Policy Institute

Friday, March 21

9:00am-3:15pm CT

Virtual

Adult Mental Health First Aid Training provides adults with the tools to assist other adults who may be developing a mental health problem or experiencing a crisis. It teaches you how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders. This training gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial support to someone who may need help connecting to appropriate care.

Register here by March 14.

Team Wellness

Monday, May 5

8:30am-12:30pm CT

In-person at the Kalahari Resort and Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells

When service providers are working to heal trauma, they often hold space for others to heal. But how does the healer heal?

Extreme stress factors are prevalent for those working in human services. These experiences can affect individual service providers, impact outcomes, and spill into their personal lives. Turnover in the compassionate service sectors is significant.

Not only does trauma and compassion fatigue impact providers, but it impacts those they serve. Children in the foster care system have a 76% chance of placement with one foster case manager. Due to turnover, if a child has two case managers, the chance for placement goes down 15%.

This course will help teams manage the stress of working in healing professions.

Register here.

*This training is a pre-conference event for the 2025 Opioids, Stimulants, and Trauma Summit. You do not have to attend the conference to participate in the pre-conference sessions, though we do encourage you to!*

Save the Date for 2025 Conferences

Prevent Suicide Wisconsin Conference

April 9

Virtual.

North Central Regional Trauma Advisory Council (NCRTAC) Trauma Conference

April 10

In-person at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, WI.

Wisconsin Alliance for Drug Endangered Children

April 15-17

In-person at the Holiday In in Stevens Point, WI.

Peer Recovery Conference

April 15-17

In-person at the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center in Wisconsin Dells, WI.

NAMI Wisconsin Annual Conference

April 25-26

In-person at the Marriott West in Madison, WI.

Opioids, Stimulants, and Trauma Summit

May 6-8

Hybrid. In-person at the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center in Wisconsin Dells, WI.

2025 Advances in Trauma Care

May 16

In-person at Rasmus/Overholt/Ross/ICE House in La Crosse, WI.

Harm Reduction Conference

July 16-17

Hybrid. In-person at the Chula Vista in Wisconsin Dells, WI.

Motivational Interviewing Conference

August 6-8

In-person at the Pyle Center in Madison, WI.

Mental Health and Substance Use Recovery Conference

October 16-17

Hybrid. In-person at the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center in Wisconsin Dells, WI.