Wis. DHS brings ‘Opioids, Stimulants, and Trauma Summit’ to La Crosse Center
LA CROSSE (WKBT) – More people die of opioid overdoses in Wisconsin each year than car crashes, but the Department of Health Services says work is being done to change that.
DHS held a week-long state-wide conference on substance abuse and trauma at the La Crosse Center.
The Opioids, Stimulants, and Trauma Summit focused on the effects drugs and trauma have on the overall well-being of people in Wisconsin.
Medical professionals, counselors, and people who have struggled with addiction themselves took part.
Among the new tools discussed were fentanyl test strips. Governor Tony Evers decriminalized the test strips in Wisconsin recently.
“Making fentanyl test strips available in our communities across the state so that individuals who are using substances can test to see if fentanyl is present is going to be a life-changing strategy,” said Paul Krupski, the Director of Opioid Initiatives at DHS.
Krupski says fentanyl is a driving factor in the spike in overdoses and deaths in Wisconsin right now.
The summit ran through Thursday, May 12.
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