Requests for Information  

Questions related to this RFP should be submitted to the RISE Drug Free MKE Coordinator, Ismael Luna: iluna@communityadvocates.net, no later than Tuesday, December 13, 2022. Please specify “RFP for Strategic Planning Facilitation” in the subject line. 

Interested organizations should submit complete proposals to Ismael Luna: iluna@communityadvocates.net, cc’ing Gloria Marfo: gmarfo@communityadvocates.net, no later than 5pm CST on Friday, December 16, 2022.

Vending machines stocked with no-cost Narcan, fentanyl testing strips, drug deactivation pouches, medication lock bags, and other overdose-prevention supplies might become available in Milwaukee County next year. Twenty vending machines have already been purchased thanks to State Opioid Response 2 (SOR 2) funding, and Milwaukee County BHD is developing a plan for distributing them around the county. Get more of the story from Wisconsin Examiner. 

This December, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is spotlighting the "Talk. They Hear You." Underage Drinking Campaign in observance of National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. According to the White House, “Over 10,000 American lives are lost to drunk and drug-impaired driving each year, accounting for nearly a third of all traffic deaths. In 2019, some 11 percent of Americans drove under the influence, including a staggering 19.6 percent of people aged 21-25 — and that number has only grown since the COVID-19 pandemic began.”

You can learn more about alcohol misuse and impaired driving prevention efforts by downloading SAMHSA's Impaired Driving Prevention Factsheet, and you can find information about the goals of "Talk. They Hear You." and many resources by visiting the campaign webpage. 

Build your Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) skills in 2023. The Great Lakes MHTTC is offering multi-session series throughout the year. Attend all sessions and you'll earn NAADAC Continuing Education hours. (Be sure to make note of pre-requisites for each level of training.) Join colleagues from across the region in learning to apply this evidence-based practice with fidelity. View the complete 2023 Motivational Interviewing calendar and website for details.

Zak Williams, mental health advocate and the son of the late Robin Williams, has recorded a holiday PSA promoting 988. The PSA is available for you to share on your websites, social media and email newsletters from the SAMHSA YouTube channel.

Get details and apply at this link.

Understanding what drives someone to continue using substances will help address barriers to seeking help and successfully complete treatment. This class uncovers the nature of addiction and why treatment can be so difficult. The American Society of Addiction Medicine continuum is used as a framework for understanding how addiction professionals assess the person’s motivation to change, their situation, and their options for treatment. This webinar, from the Great Lakes MHTTC, will be held from 8:45 to 11 a.m. on December 16. Click here for details and to register.

Community Advocates has updated its Milwaukee County Mental Health & Wellness Resource Guide. You can download it here.

Support groups can be an important facet of an individual’s recovery process. Groups can be centered on families, exclusively created for the individual in recovery, and/or facilitated by peers. Find them here.

We can all #BeThere to prevent suicide by taking actions that can promote healing and help, and give hope. Many people find it difficult to talk about suicide, and especially difficult to know how to talk to someone that is having thoughts of suicide. But there are clear actions that we can take. We can all learn the five steps for how to talk to someone who might be suicidal. Contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you are experiencing mental health-related distress or are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.

Connect with a trained crisis counselor. 988 is confidential, free, and available 24/7/365.

Visit the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for more information at 988lifeline.org.

El alcohol y la depresión: El camino de Jorge hacia una vida mejor (Alcohol and Depression: Jorge’s Journey to a Better Life). Equipa a los lectores con información acerca del alcohol y la depresión en un formato de fotonovela culturalmente competente. Reduce el estigma relacionado con los trastornos concurrentes y enfatiza la importancia de buscar ayuda tanto para el trastorno mental como para el abuso de sustancias.

Hable. Ellos escuchan es la campaña nacional patrocinada por SAMHSA para la prevención del consumo de alcohol entre menores de edad ayuda a los padres y a los cuidadores para que puedan empezar la conversación con sus hijos acerca de los peligros del alcohol.

Small Talks is how Wisconsin prevents underage drinking. Learn how these parents worked through their stage fright and started having short, frequent, casual conversations with their kids about alcohol.  Learn more about Small Talks at this link.