Issue 9-9 | April 27, 2020
News
Spotlight On:
Vanesa Carmona-Lewis
Starting a new job during a global pandemic might not be ideal, but Vanesa Carmona-Lewis is focusing on the positive aspect of stepping into her role as the Public Policy Institute’s Manager in March, when many of her new colleagues were out of the office and transitioning to working remotely. She met most of the PPI team during video conferences, phone calls, and socially distanced meetings in the office before Gov. Evers issued his Safer at Home order.

"Everyone is very supportive," Vanesa said. "I feel fortunate coming into a team that is so close knit. It doesn't feel difficult, it's just a different way of working. I couldn't imagine starting a new job during a global pandemic in a better way."

She will be managing the prevention team and building stronger links between our prevention work and policy research and advocacy.

"I will be helping the prevention team think about the next step in their work, what else they could be doing to elevate their work," she said. "In my previous positions, we had numbers to reach, performance benchmarks. I'm bringing that mentality here, which is kind of exciting to folks on our team. They're thinking, what else could I be doing?"

Small Talks
The state of Wisconsin Department of Health Services launched its Small Talks public awareness campaign to help adults talk to youth about drinking alcohol and Gov. Evers proclaimed April 2020 as Small Talks Alcohol Awareness Month. Small Talks includes resources, a survey, a data dashboard, and facts about underage drinking. Although underage drinking is declining nationally, Wisconsin’s youth drink more than the national average.
National Prevention Week
May 10-16
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.
Funding Opportunity
Development of Opioid Treatment Services in Underserved Areas
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is seeking proposals for the infrastructure planning and development of Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs), telehealth, and mobile medication-assisted treatment (MAT) units, and emergency department or other hospital initiatives to develop buprenorphine induction for people with opioid use disorder prior to release, in high need and underserved areas of Wisconsin. DHS intends to use the results of this process to award Grant agreement(s) for this purpose in such a way to expand coverage of opioid treatment services in underserved geographic areas of the state and for underserved populations. Deadline is 2 p.m. on Friday, May 15. Details here .
COVID-19 Survey for Nonprofits
The Helen Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management, along with many affiliated UW-System faculty, is conducting a survey of nonprofit leaders across the state to determine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operations and service delivery. That survey is now live, and nonprofit leaders can access it by following this link. The goal is to help provide a road to recovery for Wisconsin’s statewide nonprofit sector. You can find more information on the overall project here
Webinars
Compassion Resilience Training and Toolkit
Friday, May 1 & Friday, May 5
WISE and Rogers’ InHealth Department are excited to announce the launching of the Parents and Caregivers Compassion Resilience Toolkit as well as a virtual Toolkit Overview training. This Toolkit is organized for a facilitator team to implement eight sessions for parents and caregivers. The content is designed to build upon parents' and caregivers' compassion resilience, covering such topics as compassion in action, compassion fatigue, expectations, boundaries, modeling and wellness practices. Though designed for facilitators, individuals could also benefit from reviewing this content on their own and reflecting on their parenting practices.
 
InHealth is offering a free three-hour Toolkit Overview training. It will be delivered virtually in two 1.5 hour segments from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on Friday, May 1, and Friday, May 8. Please RSVP to Alison Wolf at alison.wolf@rogersbh.org .
Youth Dialogue:
Clearing the Air: Tobacco in Our (Every) Community
Wednesday, May 6
Young people are invited to join this Zoom dialogue to share their perspective on tobacco use in our community. It will also include Advocacy 101 on making your voice heard. This dialogue is sponsored by the American Heart Association in partnership with FACT, City of Milwaukee Tobacco-Free Alliance, and Neu-Life Community Development. It'll be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Zoom on Wednesday, May 6. Reserve your spot by emailing jasmin.young@heart.org.
Buprenorphine X-Waiver Training Webinar
Friday, May 15
Registration is now open for a buprenorphine x-waiver training webinar sponsored by the Wisconsin Society of Addiction Medicine and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services . This webinar is part of an effort to increase treatment capacity for opioid use disorder through expanded prescribing of buprenorphine. MDs, DOs, NPs, and PAs are encouraged to participate. There is no registration fee for this webinar, which will be held from 12:30 to 5 p.m. on Friday, May 15, via Zoom. Register now .
Resources
May Is Mental Health Month
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.
Dental Emergency Walk-In Clinic
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.
COVID-19 Testing
at Progressive Community Health Centers
Progressive Community Health Centers is providing COVID-19 testing to those who experience symptoms, such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, and body aches. Testing is available by appointment only in an outdoor drive-thru at Lisbon Avenue Health Center, 3522 W. Lisbon Ave., Milwaukee. Call 414-882-2040 to be pre-screened for an appointment; no walk-ins accepted.
COVID-19 Testing
at Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers
Sixteenth Community Health Centers is offering COVID-19 testing for individuals who do not have a regular doctor and have symptoms, such as fever, cough, trouble breathing, and chills or shaking. Call 414-671-1353 to be screened and schedule an appointment.
Covering Wisconsin Health Insurance Help
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.
Community Advocates' COVID-19 Resource Pages
Home To Stay
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.
Get Counted
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.
Job Opportunities
Milwaukee Prevention Journal Readers -- do you have:

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Forward the information to Prevention@CommunityAdvocates.net . Thank you for your service to Milwaukee!
Community Advocates Public Policy Institute | 414-270-2950  | ppi.communityadvocates.net
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.