Spotlight On:
Balancing the Short-Term and Long-Term Safety of E-Cigarettes
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Every smoker can tell you how difficult it is to quit their addiction to nicotine. In fact, most smokers attempt multiple times to quit before they're successful, but their chances improve, and their withdrawal symptoms are less severe, if they use nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) such as patches, lozenges, or gum, or one of two approved medications.
But how can smokers increase their odds of quitting successfully? Is relying on traditional nicotine replacement products truly the best route to success?
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Milwaukee Community Opioid Prevention Effort (COPE) Releases Updated Report
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Despite the ongoing opioid epidemic that is taking its toll on many communities across the nation, some good news has arrived in the Milwaukee area. According to the
latest report
from
the Milwaukee Community Opioid Prevention Effort (COPE),
in the first six months of 2018, there were 154 opioid-related overdose deaths, with a total projection of 308. As shocking as these numbers are, this total is actually 29 fewer overdose deaths than 2017's total, and a 9% decrease overall, if the projection proves accurate. Fentanyl still remains a major contributor to overdoses, with 59% of fatalities having a correlation with the powerful drug. Despite this, fentanyl-related deaths have seen a small (3%) decrease as well from 2018 to 2017.
Legislators in 2017 awarded further amnesty toward bystanders who are present during an overdose, although one in five bystanders still reported not calling 911 during an overdose emergency. While overdose deaths are a reality of the opioid epidemic, it is no reflection on the state of the issue as a whole. For each overdose death, an estimated five overdoses were reversed due to some intervening measure, and countless others who are active users but do not overdose.
You can read the full report here.
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Black History Month at Milwaukee Public Library
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The Milwaukee Public Library invites you to celebrate
Black History Month
at a variety of its branches throughout February.
Of special note is the presentation by
Ren
é
e Watson and Ellen Hagan, authors of
Watch Us Rise
, who will appear at the Washington Park Branch, 2121 N. Sherman Blvd., at 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 16. This event is cosponsored by Boswell Book Company, which will provide their book for sale. To see a full list of events throughout February, please click
here
.
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City of Milwaukee’s 28 Days of Black History
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Throughout February, the City of Milwaukee will mark Black History month by honoring African American leaders, past and present, many with local ties, on its
website
. The prominent placement is a fitting way to profile those who contribute to African American history within the community, and will serve as a means to honor, pay tribute, and raise awareness of their contributions and legacy.
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Wisconsin's Opioid Crisis: A Trauma-Informed Response
April 2 & 3
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Wisconsin Department of Health Services’
Wisconsin's Opioid Crisis: A Trauma-Informed Response
is for mental health professionals, substance abuse counselors, medical professionals, law enforcement, and related professions. This event will feature workshops on trauma's role in the misuse and abuse of opioids. The registration fee will be $75 per person for the full conference, to be held at KI Convention Center in Green Bay. This event is part of Wisconsin's State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Registration is expected to open soon.
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Native American Cancer Conference
May 6 through May 8
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The
Share the Care Native Cancer Conference
of 2019 is set for Monday, May 6, through Wednesday, May 8, at the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. The event runs over three days, beginning at noon on May 6 with pre-conference training
.
A keynote speaker is Dr. Judith Salmon Kaur, the medical director for the Native American Programs of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. You can register
here
, or provide any questions via email
here
. Exhibitors and community resources are all welcome!
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NAMI Peer-to-Peer Education Program
Saturday, February 16 through Saturday, April 20
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The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Greater Milwaukee chapter is offering its
Peer-to-Peer Education Program
beginning on Saturday, February 16, from 1 to 3 p.m. weekly for 10 weeks until April 20. The courses are free, confidential, and facilitated by trained Peer Mentors who are themselves in the recovery process. These are invaluable sessions dealing with general resources involving mental health and recovery, emphasizing respect, understanding, encouragement, and hope. The classes run each Saturday unless otherwise noted. Please contact
Theresa Jemison
of NAMI Greater Milwaukee to register or call 414-344-0447. The NAMI offices are located at 3200 S. Third St., Milwaukee.
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Black Lives / Black Lungs at UWM
Thursday, February 21
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A screening of
Black Lives Black Lungs: How Big Tobacco Targets Black Communities
,
followed by a panel discussion featuring Dr. Phoenix Matthews and local community leaders, will be held on Thursday, February 21, at 7 p.m. in the UWM Union Fireside Lounge (2200 E. Kenwood Blvd., Milwaukee). Dr. Matthews, of the University of Illinois at Chicago, will go in depth on issues relating to menthol tobacco products and tobacco prevention efforts within the black community, with a specific focus on the "menthol exemption" clause in the Family Smoking and Tobacco Prevention Act of 2009. The event is free and open to the general public. Light refreshments will be available. Sponsors are Black Cultural Center, Norris Health Center, SPARK, Campus Planning and Management, UWM LGBT Resource Center, CVS Health Foundation and the American Cancer Society, City of Milwaukee Tobacco-Free Alliance, and MCW Cancer Center.
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Samaritan Family Wellness Circle Training
Thursday, March 7 & Thursday, May 2
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Samaritan Family Wellness
, a Glendale nonprofit, will offer one-day facilitator trainings open to the public. These will include learning how to host a six-week Wellness Circle targeted to adult, parent or teen audiences. Future dates for these sessions will be held on Thursday, March 7, and Thursday, May 2. Both will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and are held at the Aurora Family Service Center at 3200 W. Highland Blvd., Milwaukee. Please RSVP to
Holly Stoner
; there is a cost of $35 for the training, which includes lunch and materials.
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An Evening with Alex Kotlowitz, Author of
An American Summer: Love and Death in Chicago
Wednesday, March 13
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Drawing on his decades of experience, Alex Kotlowitz, author of
There Are No Children Here
, set out to chronicle one summer in Chicago by writing about individuals who have emerged from the violence and whose stories capture the capacity -- and the breaking point -- of the human heart and soul. The result,
An American Summer: Love and Death in Chicago
, is a spellbinding collection of deeply intimate profiles that upend what we think we know about gun violence in America.
Community Advocates Public Policy Institute
and the
City of Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention
are cosponsoring this
evening at Boswell Book Co.,
during which Kotlowitz will discuss and sign
An American Summer: Love and Death in Chicago
. Kotlowitz will appear from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, March 13, at
Boswell Book Company
, 2559 N. Downer Ave., Milwaukee.
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Social Justice and Evaluation Conference
Friday, March 15
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¡Milwaukee Evaluation!
will host its 2019 Social Justice and Evaluation Conference on Friday, March 15, at the Goodman Community Center in Madison. Activities will include keynote speaker Vu Le, the executive director of Rainier Valley Corps, as well as information and discussions regarding cutting-edge issues facing evaluators today, methods-based, capacity-building breakout sessions, and networking opportunities with evaluators across the state.
¡Milwaukee Evaluation! is the Wisconsin statewide AEA affiliate and has identified three goals: to promote the science and practice of evaluation in the public and private sectors, to provide a forum for professional evaluators, and to establish and maintain a pipeline for evaluators of color and underrepresented groups.
Register for their conference here
.
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DHS Opioid Forum
March 19 & 20
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Disability Advocacy Day
Wednesday, March 20
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Disability Rights Wisconsin
is hosting its
Disability Advocacy Day
at Monona Terrace (One John Nolen Drive, Madison), to connect Self-Advocates with their legislators to discuss important issues, including Medicaid, mental health services, transportation, and more. Register online
here
before Friday, March 8. There is a $10 registration fee, and participants are required to stay for the full day of activities. An optional $10 lunch is also available. Everyone in attendance must register using their home (voting) address, and it must be done in advance; there is no registration the day of the event. Check in begins at 9:30 a.m., with the day finishing up around 3 p.m.
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Ninth Annual Cancer Prevention Conference
for Community Health Workers
Friday, March 22
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Kohl’s and the American Cancer Society will present the
Cancer Prevention Conference for Community Health Workers
on Friday, March 22, at the Italian Community Center (631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee). The conference, scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., is free for community health professionals interested in networking, learning best practices, and connecting cancer prevention with screening opportunities in the communities they serve. A complimentary continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. Please register by March 8
here
or call 262-523-5512.
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Our Partners & Allies Are Seeking...
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Milwaukee Prevention Journal Readers -- do you have:
- Job openings?
- Upcoming events?
- News to share?
- Suggestions?
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Community Advocates is supported by ReCAST MKE, a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services, under Grant No. 5H79SM063524.
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