In this Issue:

• News
• Events & Webinars
• Community Resources
• Los Recursos Familial en Español
• Family Resources in English
• Job Opportunities

Spotlight On: Dry January

Dry January is upon us! This groundbreaking public health initiative has allowed millions to experiment with a month of total sobriety and reap major benefits, including weight loss, better sleep, and elevated moods. Millions have taken part since its inception in 2013 and swear by it, with many choosing to abstain from drinking long after the month is over.

Read more to find out if Dry January is right for you and learn how a month without drinking can make this January your best yet.

News

Milwaukee's N/A day will be returning for its third annual Dry January festival. Held by Milwaukee Record and featuring dozens of vendors, this exclusively alcohol-free event will have a diverse array of non-alcoholic beverages available.

The event runs on Saturday, January 6, from 12 to 4 p.m. and will be held at The Cooperage, 822 S. Water St., Milwaukee. Tickets are $20 if purchased in advance and $30 if purchased at the door.

If you’re having trouble paying for Internet services, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) can help you. The ACP offers eligible households $30 a month discount on Internet service or a credit toward purchasing a computer or tablet. Community Advocates Public Policy Institute is getting the word out about this program and helping folks get signed up.

Look for us at these outreach events in January:

• January 9: Milwaukee VA Clinic, Veterans Resource Center, 1818 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive; 8 a.m. to 12 noon; all veterans are welcome.
• January 10: Sherman Phoenix, 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave., 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• January 11: Dominican Center, 2470 W. Locust St., 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• January 16: Community Advocates, First Floor Lobby, 728 N. James Lovell St., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• January 24: Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Family Health Center, 1121 E. North Ave., 12 to 1 p.m.
• January 25: Dominican Center, 2470 W. Locust St., 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

To learn more about these events, visit our website by clicking on the button below.

The WI SUPST is a foundational course of study in substance use prevention. Grounded in current research and SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework, WI SUPST is designed to help participants develop the knowledge and skills needed to implement effective, data-driven prevention that reduces behavioral health disparities and improves wellness.

This session is sponsored by Community Advocates Public Policy Institute and the Alliance for Wisconsin Youth will be held February 6, 7 & 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Indian Health Service is offering funding to address the opioid crisis in American Indian/ Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. The objectives for this program include increasing public awareness and education about culturally appropriate and family-centered opioid and overdose prevention and treatment, increasing access to medication-assisted treatment/medications for opioid use disorder, and promoting harm reduction activities in tribal and urban Indian communities. Eligible applicants include federally recognized tribes, tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services' Care and Treatment Services Division is seeking applicants for a new gambling awareness grant program. The recipient must develop and provide a contemporary educational awareness campaign in multimedia formats on gambling disorder for multiple audiences, promote evidence-based prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery of gambling disorder for multiple audiences through trainings, promote early identification and appropriate referrals for individuals at risk for or exhibiting behavioral attributes of gambling disorder, and maintain a twenty-four hour hotline. The deadline to apply is March 14.

Widely considered to be the top recovery podcast in the United States, each episode of The Addicted Mind brings a new expert to discuss the science behind addiction, covering a diverse array of topics ranging from trauma to food addiction. As the show prepares for its 2024 season, now is a good time for firsttime listeners to tune in or for longtime listeners to check out previous episodes.

This is the first of six highly interactive sessions held by the Great Lakes PTTC

focused on taking a deep dive into principles of the code of ethics for substance misuse prevention specialists. The focus of this session will be on the principle of non-discrimination and how to apply it to the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF).

This prevention ethics series is for substance misuse prevention practitioners that have already completed a Foundations in Prevention Ethics training. If you would like to attend this series but have not yet completed the prevention ethics foundation course, complete the free, self-paced, online prevention ethics course on HealtheKnowledge before attending this ethics series. This event will be held on Thursday, January 4, from 9:30 to 11 a.m.

With the changes in alcohol regulation being brought forth by Wisconsin Act 73, WisApp will be hosting a special educational webinar to discuss these new legal changes and how policymakers, activists, and community members can ensure their community is ready.

This webinar will be held on Tuesday, January 9, from 11 to 11:45 a.m. This webinar is free but registration is required.

Join experts Debbie Fox, Michelle Docker and Janice Miller at this webinar hosted by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The purpose of this webinar is to highlight the need for victim service programs to engage with their local continuums of care. This webinar will include guidance on identifying and engaging your local Continuum of Care in a mutually beneficial partnership that strengthens your communities' coordinated response to intimate partner violence.

This webinar will be held on Tuesday, January 9, from 12 to 1:30 p.m. Registration is required.

The content presented in this NAADAC 

workshop will be within the framework of a recovery-oriented focus of clinical supervision. This workshop, taught by addiction expert Christine S. Martin, focuses on the teaching, coaching, and mentoring of the person receiving clinical supervision in addition to the competencies that are critical for high quality services. Clinical supervision that takes place in a recovery-oriented fashion, encompassing the competencies necessary, produces the outcomes desired to achieve the aspects of evidenced-based services within a full continuum of care. 

This free webinar will be held on Wednesday, January 10, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Registration is required.

This AETC led session will focus on the historical and cultural context of trans and gender-diverse people and what it means to practice cultural humility in working with stakeholders and community members.

Attendees will learn about different levels of stigma and discrimination, including micro-aggressions, macro-aggressions, and structural factors that impact transgender health and safety.

This webinar will be held on Tuesday, January 16 from 12 to 2 p.m. Registration is required.

Community Advocates Public Policy Institute is proud to announce its January meeting session for The Empowerment Coalition of Milwaukee (ECOM). This meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 17 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and will be conducted at the United Way Volunteer Center at 200 W. Pleasant St., Milwaukee. The topic will be eviction assistance and mediation for tenants. 

Registration is required and costs $5; the deadline to register is Friday, January 12. Refreshments will be provided.

This QPR webinar will be held on Tuesday, January 17, from 10 to 11 a.m.

The QPR mission is to reduce suicidal behaviors and save lives by providing innovative, practical and proven suicide prevention training. This two-hour interactive introduction to suicide awareness and prevention will cover statistics and intervention strategies and leave attendees equipped to recognize the warning signs of suicidal behavior.

This event is free to attend, though registration is required. If you have questions, contact Rita Liesiefsky at rliesiefsky@communityadvocates.net.

The Southeast PTTC will hosting this free interactive session, with presenters Carlton Hall and Stephanie Strutner demonstrating the importance of communication for community coalitions.

Participants will identify the importance of effective communication while engaging in hands-on learning, developing effective techniques to reach specific populations of focus in their community. Participants will further reflect on how to effectively market their strategies to be effective in achieving population-level change.

This free webinar will be held on Thursday, January 18, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Book Reading with Ben Austen, Author of Correction: Parole, Prison, and the Possibility of Change

Tuesday, January 23

Community Advocates Public Policy Institute and Boswell Book Company will be hosting author Ben Austen for a reading of his book Correction: Parole, Prison, and the Possibility of Change on Tuesday, January 23, at 6:30 p.m. This event will be held at the Boswell Book Company located on 2559 N. Downer Ave.

Correction, an investigation into the crisis of the American criminal justice system through the lens of parole, has generated rave reviews from The New York Times, Washington Post, and Matthew Desmond, author of Evicted, who wrote, "Correction ranks among the very best books on life inside and outside of prison I have ever read."

All are welcome to attend; registration is required.

The National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors will be hosting a webinar on the critical role that both peers and recovery professionals play as allies to those in recovery, with author Alison Jones Webb there to discuss her work in harm reduction and to educate attendees about the importance of recovery capital.

This event will be held on Wednesday, January 24, from 2 to 3 p.m. This event is free but registration is required.

SAMHSA’s 20th Prevention Day (SPD) will be held on Monday, January 29, in conjunction with CADCA National Leadership Forum at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.

This day-long event is being held to celebrate the 20th anniversary of SPD, while also exploring current innovations, reflecting on past accomplishments, and charting a course for the future of prevention. Advance registration is required.

Community Advocates Public Policy Institute is proud to announce its January Adult Mental Health First Aid webinar. This webinar teaches attendees how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders. This training provides the skills needed to reach out and provide initial support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to appropriate care.

This free webinar will be held on Tuesday, January 30, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Please note this is a multi-part course and certain requirements must be met in order to receive certification. Registration will be open until Wednesday, January 24, at 12 p.m.

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Forward the information to Prevention@CommunityAdvocates.net.

Thank you for your service to Milwaukee!

Excessive Alcohol Use Fact Sheet

Excessive alcohol use is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 140,000 Americans every year. But how much do you really know about about excessive drinking?

Helping a Loved One Dealing with Mental and/or Substance Use Disorders: Starting the Conversation

When a family member is drinking too much, using drugs, or struggling with a mental disorder, your support can be key to getting them the treatment they need. Learn more on how to start a conversation on getting help.

Piénselo antes de beber: el alcohol y su salud

Piénselo antes de beber está diseñado para los adultos en Estados Unidos que beben alcohol. Brinda información basada en la evidencia sobre el alcohol y la salud junto con consejos, herramientas y recursos para aquellas personas que desean reducir su consumo o dejar de beber.

Youth Mental Health and Substance Abuse

Teenagers with mental health issues are at higher risk of developing a substance use disorder. Learn more about the warning signs of substance abuse and how to have a conversation with your child about addiction.

Job Opportunities

• Cathedral Center: Guest Services Specialist
• Cathedral Center: Women’s Emergency Shelter, Guest Support Staff
• End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin: Prevention & Outreach Director
• Love146: Prevention Advisory Specialist
• Progressive Community Health Centers: Community Health Worker
• Sixteenth Street Community Health Center: Behavioral Health Consultant
• Sixteenth Street Community Health Center: Lead Outreach Worker
• Sixteenth Street Community Health Center: Mental Health Support Worker (Behavior Specialist)
• Veterans Health Administration: Social Services Assistant

This newsletter was created and delivered to you thanks to the financial support of Milwaukee County Department of Health & Human Services Behavioral Health Services and other funders.

Community Advocates Public Policy Institute | 414-270-2950 

ppi.communityadvocates.net