Welcome to our September 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 missed opportunity? The important role of gynaecologists, midwives, and addiction specialists in the prevention of prenatal alcohol exposure

from PubMed, of the NIH National Library of Medicine

Aims: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs), caused by prenatal alcohol exposure, represent a significant public health challenge. Despite their prevalence, prevention remains insufficient. This study explores knowledge gaps and barriers among gynaecologists, midwives, and addiction specialists, identifying opportunities for improvement.

Read the study here.

FASD Awareness Month Toolkit

from FASD United

FASD United’s FASD Awareness Month Toolkit can be used to inform your own social media and advocacy, get involved with upcoming events, and promote FASD awareness and resources. Learn more about FASD United’s FASD Awareness Month activities, including FASD Impact Week coming up September 15–17 in Washington, D.C.

Click here to download.

Get Smart About Drugs

a DEA Resource

Get Smart About Drugs provides valuable drug education information for parents, educators, and caregivers to help identify drug use, warning signs of drug use, and the harmful side effects of the most commonly used drugs. 

Click here to learn more.

Connecting the Dots

from Wisconsin CONNECT

The Connecting the Dots podcast is back with a new three-part series on opioid use research, treatment, and community responses!

Opioids Use: Research to Practice (A Three-Part Series)

Guest hosts: Jay Ford and Cody Wenthur

• Opioids, Reward, Addiction, Overdose, and Treatment (Part One)
• The Role of Community Pharmacies in Support of Addressing the Opioid Epidemic (Part Two)
• How do we connect treatment agencies to community pharmacies? A Community Response. (Part Three)

Registration also allows you access to Stimulants: Research to Practice (A Three-Part Series), guest hosted by Richard Rawson and Albert Hasson.

Learn more and register here.

This series is free and continuing education will be awarded.

MATRIX Trainings

from Wisconsin CONNECT

Matrix Recovery Program™ is a 2025 updated user-friendly, manualized treatment program adapted from the original public domain program designed to equip individuals with the skills and insights necessary to effectively manage their substance use disorder. 

“The training made me realize that I was using outdated information. I now have the ability to update my programming and achieve better outcomes. Grateful for the training." -Vernice, Alaska (on training through the Clare|Matrix Training Institute)

Criminal Justice

Wednesday, September 17 and

Thursday, September 18

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

both days

Virtual

Register here

Improving Care for the Justice Population

Friday, September 19

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

Virtual

Register here

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

Skills for Effective Crisis Supervision

from UW-Green Bay

September 17

12:30-5:00p.m. CT

In-person at the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center, 1305 Kalahari Dr., Baraboo, WI 53913

Crisis Supervisors play a critical role in supporting and sustaining the crisis workforce. In order to attract and retain qualified crisis staff, supervisors need exceptional skills in both the administrative and clinical aspects of supervision. This course will build upon lessons learned in BHTP's Practicing Effective Management and Reflective Supervision, covering topics such as recognizing and responding to the secondary traumatic stress and burnout; building effective partnerships; and managing conflict with collaborative partners.

Attend as pre-conference training to the 29th Annual Wisconsin Crisis Intervention Conference! 

Register here.

ASAM 4th Edition Training

from Wisconsin CONNECT

All of the ASAM dates that we are offering this fall are at capacity.

Visit our ASAM webpage here.

Adult Mental Health First Aid

from Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Services

September 9th or 24th, 2025 

 9AM - 3PM CT

Virtual Via TEAMS

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 ahead of schedule once the maximum number of participants has been reached. To take part in this training: 

• Register by 5 pm on 8/30/2025 for the September 9th training 
• Register by 5 pm on  9/12/2025 for the September 24 training.

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 Monday the following week. 

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 Wednesday the week after you created a profile. 

STEP #4: TAKE THE TRAINING

After you complete your pre-course, you'll receive an email a day before the training with a link to join the virtual training. This 6-hour virtual training will be facilitated using the Microsoft TEAMS App. You can download the app to your computer/phone in advance.

STEP #5: RECEIVE YOUR CERTIFICATE 

After the training, you'll receive an email titled "You have completed 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 that your profile is set up one week before the beginning 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.g

Register here.

Maternal Health Innovation Evaluation Grant

from Wisconsin DHS

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), Division of Public Health (DPH) announces the availability of funds for the MHI Evaluation grant.

This funding will support the development and execution of an evaluation plan for the MHI task force and the MHI Innovation grantees. The evaluation will utilize available statewide and grantee-level data to identify and analyze yearly maternal health measures to demonstrate impact.

The MHI program has access to statewide maternal health data from data systems including vital records, hospital discharge records, the Wisconsin Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, and the Wisconsin Maternal Mortality Review program.

The MHI program has also been collecting performance data from MHI Innovation grantees to capture their activities and populations served. Additional measures and data collection mechanisms may be newly developed as a part of the evaluation. Measures are expected to be qualitative and quantitative. 

Details

• Application due date: 6 p.m., September 22, 2025
• Estimated award amount: $50,000 Year 1, $30,000 Year 2–3
• Estimated number of awards: One award
• Total project period: October 1, 2025–September 29, 2028

Learn more here.

Save the Date for 2025 Conferences

Rally for Recovery

September 6, 2025

In-person at the WIsconsin State Capitol in Madison, WI.

Substance Use Prevention Conference

September 10-11

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

Wisconsin Association of Treatment Court Professionals Coordinator Conference

September 17-19

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

Wisconsin Crisis Intervention Conference

September 18-19

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

Substance Use Disorder Counseling Conference

September 18-19

In-person at the Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, WI.

ASAM Region VI Conference

September 25-26

In-person at the Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee, WI.

Wisconsin Perinatal Conference

October 6-8

In-person in Oshkosh, WI.

The Better Ways to Cope Conference

October 10-11

In-person at the Coakley Brothers Water Tower Building in Milwaukee, 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.

Help & Hope Conference

November 7

In-person at the Gateway Technical College in Racine, WI.