MILWAUKEE – Today, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announced his proposal to utilize nearly $7.5 million in opioid settlement funds for eight initiatives aimed at reducing opioid and substance use disorder (SUD), expanding treatment and prevention services, and saving lives.  

This investment marks the latest major step forward in County Executive Crowley’s multi-year strategy to address the opioid crisis and advance Milwaukee County’s strategic plan to achieve health equity. The proposed projects are part of the County’s efforts to address systemic gaps, support evidence-based practices, and reduce health disparities. These project recommendations are informed by input from community stakeholders, service providers, and individuals with lived experience. 

“My administration continues to deploy opioid settlement dollars across Milwaukee County. These upstream investments are proving to be effective, but we know there’s more work to do in expanding substance use prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery efforts,” said County Executive Crowley. “Through these proven initiatives and by working together, we will keep leading the way to change the lives of individuals affected by substance use disorder and reduce the likelihood of overdose-related fatalities in our community – because the lives of our neighbors depend on it.” 

For the fourth year in a row, overdose and opioid overdose deaths are on the decline in Milwaukee County. The data, which is publicly accessible on Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management’s Overdose Dashboard, shows that in 2025, there were 387 fatal overdoses in Milwaukee County. Of those, 249 were fatal opioid overdoses. This is a 17.7% decrease in fatal overdoses and 22.7% decrease in fatal opioid overdoses from 2024. Since 2022, when Milwaukee County experienced 674 overdose deaths, there has been a 42.6% decline. Opioid overdose deaths in 2022 reached 548, but that number has been cut in half, with a 54.6% decline.

Milwaukee County’s investments are closely aligned with the evidence-based strategies that have been proven to decrease overdose deaths and save lives. To further this progress, the following projects were proposed by County Executive Crowley’s administration for implementation during fiscal years 2027-2029: 

  • Aging and Disabilities Services Opioid Prevention Project: Focuses on outreach to older adults in Milwaukee County at risk for opioid misuse and overdosing by using data and GIS mapping to conduct door-to-door canvassing, distribute harm reduction supplies, and engage with senior living facilities. A bilingual outreach worker will also be added to the team.
  • Opioid Responsive Park System: Creates an Opioid-Responsive Park System to reduce overdose risk and improve safety across its park spaces by equipping Park Rangers with naloxone and overdose-response training, installing and maintaining sharps-disposal infrastructure, and supporting contracted syringe-collection and cleanup services in high-need locations. Together, these efforts extend harm reduction strategies into publicly accessible spaces where individuals and the broader community are directly impacted.
  • Community Contingency Management Treatment Pilot Program: Addresses a gap in SUD treatment through the implementation of Contingency Management, an evidence-based treatment approach shown to be effective for stimulant, opioid, and other substance use disorders. This structured program includes drug testing, individual therapy, group sessions, and incentives for negative drug tests. Expanding Milwaukee County’s treatment capacity will help prevent rising stimulant overdoses and promote a healthier, stronger community.
  • Grief Outreach and Grief-Informed Care: Provides grief outreach to families of victims of overdose, collects vital data to enrich understanding of fatal overdose risk factors and reduce future overdose, expands collaboration between partners to identify and refer families impacted by overdose to resources, expands training to frontline service providers and social workers, and pilots trauma and grief informed support opportunities for families impacted by overdose loss.
  • Substance Use Disorder System: Provides flexible funds to support Milwaukee County DHHS Behavioral Health Services (BHS) community providers that deliver evidence-based care across the continuum, including outpatient, residential, and recovery support services.
  • Strengthening Opioid and Substance Use Education and Treatment for Justice-Involved Youth: Expands education, treatment, and community-based linkages for detained young people with substance use disorders. DHHS will hire a clinical director and one additional clinician – who would provide prevention and intervention services for young people detained in the Vel R. Phillips Juvenile Detention Center and those returning to the community following detention.
  • Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Behind the Walls: Uses FDA-approved medications, coupled with behavioral counseling, for individuals who are incarcerated in a Milwaukee County correctional facility and are living with an opioid use disorder.
  • Medical Examiner’s Office Staffing: Supports critical positions including a forensic pathologist, medicolegal death investigator, and forensic chemist to improve turnaround time for investigations and data-driven decision-making. 

Milwaukee County will receive $111 million in opioid settlement funds over 18 years – representing the largest amount awarded to any local government in Wisconsin. In total, $34 million has been allocated thus far through three cohorts of funded projects. These efforts are aimed at breaking cycles of addiction, advancing racial equity, and improving community health outcomes across the county. 

The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors will consider the proposal in July.

Learn more about the projects HERE. Learn more about Milwaukee County’s efforts to combat the opioid epidemic HERE.