Spotlight On:
How Milwaukee Youth-Serving Organizations Are Delivering Services during COVID-19
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Like every other organization, Community Advocates Public Policy Institute has been challenged to adapt to the unique demands of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our response has been to provide our regular services on the phone or via email, and to use video calls and webinars to stay connected, instead of scheduling in-person meetings.
We're also impressed by how youth-serving agencies are staying connected to the young people and families who access their services. It hasn’t been easy, since there is no road map to follow, and changes had to be made quickly to ensure the health and safety of all. Here's how Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee, Milwaukee Christian Center, The Parenting Network, Pathfinders, and United Community Center are serving their youth while staying safe and healthy.
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National Prevention Week
May 10-16
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National Prevention Week (May 10-16) is a public education forum that promotes prevention year-round through providing ideas, capacity building, tools, and resources to help individuals and communities make substance use prevention happen every day. During National Prevention Week, communities and organizations across the country come together to raise awareness about the importance of substance use prevention and positive mental health.
Click here for information, promotional materials, webinars, and planning toolkit.
Community Advocates Public Policy Institute will have updates throughout the week.
Like our page here.
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Health Equity, Tobacco, and Behavioral Health Webinar
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The latest in the TPCP Disparities Webinar Series featured Taslim van Hattum, director of the National Council for Behavioral Health; Dr. Bruce Christiansen, Distinguished Scientist at the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI); and Tara Noye, coalition coordinator of the South Central Wisconsin Tobacco Free Coalition, which covers Adams, Juneau, Richland, and Sauk counties in Wisconsin.
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No Menthol Sunday Kickoff
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The Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network organized this forum featuring Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Wisconsin Health Officer Jeanne Ayers, Delmonte Jefferson, President of the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network, Lorraine Lathen Director of the Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network, and many local faith leaders.
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Prevent Suicide Wisconsin 2020 Virtual Conference
September 8 & 9
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Prevent Suicide Wisconsin’s annual conference is tentatively scheduled to be held virtually on September 8 and 9. Originally planned for April 28 and 29 in Wisconsin Dells, the conference will be held on Zoom to protect the health and safety of attendees.
For details, click on this link.
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Forward Community Investments
COVID-19 Nonprofit Emergency Capacity Building Grant Fund
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Forward Community Investments (FCI) has committed an initial $50,000 in partnership with
Associated Bank
to support small nonprofits that have changed their operational model or services due to COVID‐19. This need‐based, micro‐grant program will provide immediate financial support ($2,500 per grant) for capacity building expenses such as:
- Health and safety supplies for organizations facing newly fluctuating demand.
- Computer purchases enabling remote work by nonprofit employees.
- Software and other technology investments supporting distance learning or other remote service delivery model.
In order to be eligible to receive one of these $2,500 grants, organizations must:
- Be a 501c3 organization or a project sponsored by another 501c3, located in Wisconsin serving rural communities, serving people of color, low to moderate-income individuals, or other marginalized groups.
- Have less than 10 FTE's and an annual budget of less than $500,000.
- Work towards reducing racial and economic disparities.
- Have an unexpected expense related to COVID-19.
FCI’s research indicates that small nonprofits experience significant barriers accessing many funds. The Nonprofit Emergency Capacity Building Fund eliminates these barriers through a grant, not a loan. Deadline to apply is May 20.
See the website for details
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Coronavirus and COVID-19 Response and Relief Funds
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Roddenberry Foundation Civic Engagement Grant
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The Roddenberry Foundation has announced a small grants program for civic engagement of young people of color. The Roddenberry Foundation will make grants between $500-$10,000 to organizations, teams, and individuals across the country. Deadline to apply is May 29.
Get details here
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Intersectionality of Trauma and Substance Misuse Webinar
Tuesday, May 12
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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) report that more than a third of adolescents with a report of abuse or neglect will have a substance use disorder before they reach their 18th birthday. This is an epidemic that demands the attention of mental and behavioral health specialists immediately. This training exposes participants to best practices for helping youth and adults recover from trauma and substance abuse. The Public Policy Institute designed this training to include data specific to Wisconsin, local resources, self-care strategies and strategic planning with other organizations.
This training is based on evidence-informed practices and provides a completion certificate. Participants will be given 48 hours to complete the online feedback form before they receive their certificates of completion.
Due to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, this training will be held on Tuesday, May 12, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon on Zoom.
RSVP at this link
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Substance Use, Academic Performance, and Academic Engagement among High School Seniors
Tuesday, May 12
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In the latest installment of CADCA’s New Research into Action Webinar series, Brittany Bugbee
,
MPH, will discuss her recent article, "Substance Use, Academic Performance, and Academic Engagement among High School Seniors," which was published in
Journal of School Health
in 2019.
The article found that high school seniors who abstained from all substance use in their lifetime experience better academic outcomes than current or past substance users. Bugbee will also discuss how her findings can be used by coalitions addressing youth substance use and misuse in their communities. This webinar will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12.
Register here
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FrameWorks Institute Report Release:
Building Relationships: Framing Early Relational Health
Thursday, May 14
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Early relational health is an emergent term that has galvanized the interest of many stakeholders and leaders in child and public health sectors, drawing attention to the essential early relational experiences that contribute greatly to infant/toddler development and overall child and family well-being. With generous support of the Perigee Fund, CSSP has partnered with the FrameWorks Institute to research the best framing for the child health and early childhood sector's enthusiasm for expanding an early relational health frame for its activities and to explore other professionals', parents’ and the public’s understanding of this new commitment. This webinar will present FrameWorks' key findings and recommendations about communicating the importance of early relational health to non-experts. This webinar will be held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 14.
Register here
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How to Lead through Crisis in a
Resilience-Oriented Trauma-Informed Way
Monday, May 18
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General concerns and anxieties can be difficult to manage during the best of situations, but what happens when you are trying to manage them during an international pandemic and provide supportive leadership? This workshop will provide a brief overview on how anxiety can impact our general functioning, our functioning in crisis, and different strategies you can use to adapt your leadership style to minimize the impact of anxiety on your staff during this unprecedented time in our country and lives. This free seminar is sponsored by National Council on Behavioral Health and will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27, on Zoom.
Register here.
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Question, Persuade, Refer Suicide Prevention Training Webinar
Tuesday, May 19
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The QPR mission is to reduce suicidal behaviors and save lives by providing innovative, practical and proven suicide prevention training. The signs of crisis are all around us. We believe that quality education empowers all people, regardless of their background, to make a positive difference in the life of someone they know. QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer, the three simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide.
This training is based on evidence-informed practices and provides a completion certificate. Participants will be given 48 hours to complete the online feedback form before they receive their certificates of completion.
Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, this training will be conducted on Zoom from 3 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19.
Please RSVP now at this link
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Reentry Support Webinar
Tuesday, May 26
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The Reentry Support Training equips residents and service providers with tools to support previously incarcerated youth and adults in reentering the community. Many families find their loved ones returning to prison while on probation and parole. In Wisconsin, this cycle disproportionately impacts black and brown youth and adults. The Public Policy Institute designed this training to help communities interrupt the cycle of recidivism through resource coordination and relationship building related to housing, health, education and employment.
This training is based on evidence-informed practices and provides a completion certificate. Participants will be given 48 hours to complete the online feedback form before they receive their certificates of completion.
Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, this training will be conducted on Zoom from 10 a.m. to 12 noon on Tuesday, May 26.
Click on this link to register
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Self-Care and Promoting Post-Traumatic Growth during Active Crisis Management
Wednesday, May 27
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General concerns and anxieties can be difficult to manage during the best of situations, but what happens when you are trying to manage them during an international pandemic? This workshop will provide a brief overview on how anxiety can impact our general functioning, our functioning in crisis, and different strategies you can use to decrease the impact of anxiety on you during this unprecedented time in our country and lives. This free seminar is sponsored by National Council on Behavioral Health and will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27, on Zoom.
Register here
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Trauma-Informed Practices across School Settings
Wednesday, May 27
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This webinar from the National Center for School Safety will address how to implement and adapt trauma-informed practices across school settings. During these unprecedented times, the social and emotional well-being of our students, parents, teachers, and administrators is of critical importance. Tools and strategies will be provided to address the social and emotional needs of the school community even while the school doors remain shut. Principals, teachers, parents, and mental health professionals will learn how to implement trauma-informed practices across all school settings, how to manage current challenges due to virtual learning, and provide support and access to care for yourself, your students, and your staff to improve the overall health of your school community. This free webinar will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27.
Get details and register here.
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Milwaukee Community Health Centers are offering testing for COVID-19 (coronavirus) for individuals who do not have a doctor and who are showing symptoms of COVID-19. No insurance, income, or immigration restrictions. Call 211 or your nearest community health center to be screened for an appointment.
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Milwaukee County has also announced the opening of
two free testing centers
, which will operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week:
- Midtown Shopping Center Parking Lot, North 57th Street and West Capitol Drive
- UMOS Parking Lot, South Chase Avenue and West Rosedale Avenue
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Waukesha County will be testing individuals for free May 11 and 12. Registration is required by calling 262-548-7626.
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Racine County testing will be held this Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Burlington High School, 400 McCanna Parkway, Burlington.
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Dental Emergency Walk-In Clinic
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Progressive Community Health Centers is offering emergency dental services during the COVID-19 public health emergency, but no routine care or exams. The clinic, Lisbon Avenue Health Center, 3522 W. Lisbon Ave., is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., for walk-ins only, no appointments accepted. Payment and/or insurance co-pay is due at the time of service. Bring a valid photo ID and insurance card. Call 414-935-8000 with questions.
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New Resource Documents for PPE Use and Conservation
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The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has developed several new personal protective equipment (PPE) resource documents. These one-pagers provide recommendations on how to use and conserve PPE and are titled:
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The Mind Matters series from the National Institute on Drug Abuse is a valued resource for tens of thousands of teachers. Each booklet is devoted to a specific drug or drug group. Hard copies of the booklets in English can be ordered for free and both English and Spanish booklets are available online as printable PDFs. The accompanying Teacher’s Guide, which includes background information and activities to enhance students' learning, is available online in a printable PDF format.
La serie "
EXPLORANDO LA MENTE
" es un producto del Instituto Nacional sobre el Abuso de Drogas, dependencia de los Institutos Nacionales de la Salud. Estos materiales son del dominio público y se los puede reproducir sin necesidad de pedir permiso, pero se agradece citar la fuente.
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Tim Elmore on SEL during the Coronavirus Emergency
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Tim Elmore, CEO and Founder of Growing Leaders, explains how and why teachers can embed social and emotional learning into their virtual classroom time. "Saying that it's not a good time to add social and emotional learning to your daily routine would be like the person who says it's not a good time to fix the hole in his roof because it's raining. Far too often, we believe we can't do something due to the stressful time, but that something may be the very act that saves us."
Read the blog here.
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Mental Health First Aid: Be the Difference during COVID-19
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Mental Health First Aid helps individuals help others who may be experiencing a mental health issue or crisis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these skills are more in demand.
Check out MHFA’s articles on managing coronavirus-related stress and anxiety, as well as
this blog from a MHFA trainer who is putting a faith-based spin on her outreach within her small rural community.
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Giving Voice to Depression Podcast
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This podcast originally focused on depression and stigma, but now offers helpful and inspiring insights on how to handle COVID-19.
Listen to them here.
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May Is Mental Health Month
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Mental Health America’s toolkit for Mental Health Month, in May, is now online. The theme is “Tools 2 Thrive” and offers resources on maintaining good mental health as well as information on COVID-19 and mental health.
Download it here.
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New Support Line for Veterans and Military Families
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Mental Health America of Wisconsin’s Veteran Peer Support Specialists are now providing 24/7 Warmline support to veterans and military families. The number to call is 262-336-9540; please leave a message with your name, county, military connection, and call-back number. Calls will be returned promptly. If a veteran or military family is in crisis, please call the Veterans Crisis Line at 800-273-8255 (TALK).
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Covering Wisconsin Health Insurance Help
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If you have questions about your health insurance options, Covering Wisconsin can help—for free, over the phone. To make an appointment, call 414-270-4677 (Milwaukee) or 608-261-1455 (statewide) or go to
coveringwi.org/enroll.
Click here for FAQs about COVID-19 and health insurance coverage.
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Community Advocates' COVID-19 Resource Pages
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Community Advocates' COVID-19 Resource Pages:
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Home To Stay is a new website full of resources for people returning from incarceration developed by the Milwaukee County Community Justice Council’s Milwaukee Reentry Council and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. New entries are being added, so check this site often.
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The 2020 Census is underway and the most important thing you can do is respond when you receive your invitation. Responding now will minimize the need for the Census Bureau to send census takers out into communities to follow up. Go to
my2020census.gov
to be counted.
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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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