(Brown County, Wis.) – Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach, with the support of Brown County Public Health Officer Anna Nick, has declared fentanyl a Community Health Crisis in the County of Brown as today marks the start of Recovery Month.
“The fentanyl and opioid crises are a scourge on our community and action must be taken,” says Streckenbach. “Brown County needs to be proactive, educate, and empower everyone through data-driven strategies and increased access to life-changing resources. It’s important for this community to team up so we can help keep our families and loved ones safe.”
As outlined in the declaration (attached), Streckenbach is directing Public Health to utilize opioid settlement funds to support programming, advocacy, and raising awareness regarding this issue adversely impacting our community, collaborate with public and private community partners to assist in their efforts, and develop measurable objectives to track the County’s efforts in the fight against fentanyl.
“As a mother, I am terrified that my kids will be exposed to fentanyl in some way,” says Nick. “Fentanyl does not discriminate. You don’t know who will impacted next and how. However, we do know that Fentanyl is out there. By partnering together, we can focus on prevention, response, and recovery, while attempting to reduce the number of overdoses in Brown County.”
Over the past six years, opioid deaths in Brown County have nearly tripled. In 2021, 57 percent of all drug overdose deaths in Brown County involved fentanyl, and according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
Brown County’s efforts will continue via several platforms and involve numerous community partners to help address immediate concerns, as well as long-term approaches dealing with the root causes of opioid use including a focus on the social determinants of health. One of the first avenues is by establishing a Brown County Overdose Task Force focusing on 3 pillars: prevention, response, and recovery.
There also will be a community listening session for people impacted by the opioid crisis and fentanyl where community members share and listen to others on Monday, September 12th from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Backstage at the Meyer, 117 S. Washington Street in Green Bay (poster attached). That event is hosted by Tom Farley, recovery advocate, who is returning to Brown County for this special night.
