The Milwaukee County Substance Abuse Prevention coalition (MCSAP) is happy to announce new members and initiatives, just in time for Substance Abuse Prevention Month in October.

Alexandria Kohn has joined MCSAP as coordinator. Alexandria interned with Anneke Mohr this summer for the City of Milwaukee Tobacco-Free Alliance. Prior to that internship, she worked in substance abuse prevention at Community Medical Services, a substance abuse treatment facility in West Allis. She is currently completing her Master of Public Health Degree with a focus on Community Behavioral Health at UW-Milwaukee.

Jeremy Triblett has shifted to a new position as MCSAP’s Mental Health and Wellness Coordinator. You may know Jeremy as PPI’s Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator, where he led trainings on youth and adult Mental Health First Aid, substance abuse, suicide prevention, and more. In his new position, he’ll complement MCSAP’s work by organizing new mental health and wellness initiatives and much more.

Vision 2020 Youth Summit: We’re pleased to announce our 2020 youth summit, with the theme of "Vision 2020." Participants will focus on their talents, hopes, and strengths while taking part in workshops; the first 100 to register will receive a free hoodie. This summit will take place online from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 10. It's organized by MCSAP, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, Safe & Sound, Light & Unite RED, and Neu-Life Community Development. Get details and register here.

LGBTQ+ Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Summit: The 27th Street West Drug Free Coalition along with the City of Milwaukee Tobacco Free Alliance will host a Virtual LGBTQ+ Youth Substance Use Prevention Summit on October 10. The goal of this event is to uplift Milwaukee's young LGBTQ+ people and to create space for them to be heard. MCSAP, 53206 Drug-Free Communities, and Safe & Sound are additional sponsors. Log in at 6 p.m. on October 6 to bit.ly/ss-lgbtq-summit to watch on Zoom or fb.me/e/cvcFurvpe to watch on Facebook Live for an evening of education, entertainment, and empowerment. 

Mental Health and Wellness Resource Fairs: MCSAP has launched these online events to connect mental health professionals and alternative health practitioners with marginalized communities of Milwaukee County. MCSAP believes holistic health is a basic right and works to break systemic barriers that create access disparities for all people. Recent topics included mental health and wellness for women and youth work professionals, as well as substance misuse and suicide prevention. These online events take place via Zoom and Facebook Live. MCSAP's next events will be held on October 14 and on October 28. You can watch previous resource fairs on MCSAP’s Facebook page.

My New Friends Video & Discussion: Community Advocates Public Policy Institute in partnership with Connected Health Solutions, ArtWorks for Milwaukee, and MCSAP are proud to release the video "My New Friends," produced with young people in the city of Milwaukee to raise awareness of drug misuse. "My New Friends" can be found at rebrand.ly/NewFriends, along with prompts for a guided discussion and resources about substance misuse and mental health.

Community Advocates Public Policy Institute is excited to announce that Hannah Lepper is now serving as Coordinator of the Alliance for Wisconsin Youth. Previously, she assisted job-seekers with obtaining job skills and employment through Community Advocates’ FSET program. She earned her bachelor’s in Criminal Justice from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and completed an internship with the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office as a Victim/Witness Advocate. Welcome, Hannah!

Have you ever thought about fostering a child in your safe and caring home? Learn how you can become a licensed Treatment Foster Care Parenting in this informational session hosted by Wisconsin Community Services. Sessions will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 29, and 12 noon on Tuesday, October 6. Register by contacting Megan Skaggs at mskaggs@wiscs.org or 414-840-3503.

Crisis Intervention Partner (CIP) training is a two-day, 16-hour program modeled after the philosophy of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) programs. CIP serves as training for students to learn how to use trauma informed care and verbal/non-verbal skills as part of their responses to crisis situations. CIP students are those who have professional or paraprofessional contact with people who suffer with mental illnesses or other cognitive changes and are in crisis. This training is provided at no cost thanks to MIRACLE and NAMI-Wisconsin. Get details and register here.

Wisconsin Community Services is offering this no-cost three-day training on Community Building, a deeper and more authentic way of interpersonal communication, for members of the helping professions. To get more details and to register, click here.

Join REDgen and Boswell Books for a free virtual event with Dr. Abigail Gewirtz, child psychologist, leading expert on families under stress, and author of When the World Feels Like a Scary Place. Dr. Abi offers a clear and truly practical guide to having the kind of tough conversations with your kids that really help. This event will be held on October 6 at 7 p.m. Registration is free at this link.

The global pandemic of COVID-19 has created an unprecedented national health crisis that has exposed the worst of America’s health and racial inequities. As a public health community, we have been working around the clock to address this crisis and save lives. Join the National Network of Public Health Institutes on October 7 for an interactive, virtual experience designed to uplift stories of success and explore how we can help communities leverage this moment to advance equity and greater collaboration. This three-hour event will feature forward-thinking discussions to generate solutions for the next phase of the pandemic and beyond. Cost is $29. Register here.

In the latest installment of CADCA's webinar series "Conversations: Putting Research Into Action," Sue Thau, CADCA consultant, and Karolina Deuth, Evaluation and Research Manager, will discuss CADCA’s newest publication, "Practical Theorist 12: Cannabis, The Current State of Affairs," released in July 2020. The publication covers topics such as modes of cannabis use, effects of cannabis use on the body, youth cannabis use, impaired driving and community prevention efforts. Thau and Deuth will also discuss what coalitions can do to counteract the effects of state-level legalization of marijuana in their communities. Register here.

The Wisconsin Alcohol Policy Seminar is the only event in the state focused exclusively on the evidence-based policies and practices that prevent or reduce the alcohol-related harms at the population level. Alcohol regulation and enforcement is primarily a municipal responsibility in Wisconsin. The seminar features 12 workshops and two general sessions on topics relevant for local officials, law enforcement, public health, and coalition leaders. Seminar workshops range from broad overviews to implementation guidance on policies that address Wisconsin's most pressing alcohol issues. This day-long event will be held on Thursday, October 8. Cost is $75. Interested in a scholarship? Contact Hannah Lepper at hlepper@communityadvocates.net with your request.

How do seemingly unrelated but overwhelming global events connect to create complex trauma? How do we reckon with systemic racism, health disparities, COVID-19, and the unprecedented social and economic stress impacting individuals, families, and communities across cultures, generations, genders, and racial groups? Join speakers from the National Council for Behavioral Health to learn about the tools for supporting individuals as they develop healing and resiliency around complex trauma. Register for the Zoom presentation here.

Many people who live with a mental illness struggle to find and maintain safe, accessible, affordable housing. Access to housing is key to maintaining recovery. This virtual forum will explore opportunities to expand access to housing, tenant rights including disability related accommodations, and resources to support consumers with maintaining housing. The forum will be held on October 13 from 2:30 to 5 p.m. and will include presentation of the 2020 Karen Avery Award and the Marie C. Perry Rising Leader Award. Register at this link.

Experience Community Building, a unique form of self-care, and learn tools to listen with greater depth and empathy. Click here for more information and to register.

The theme of the online American Public Health Association’s 2020 annual meeting and expo is "Creating the Healthiest Nation: Preventing Violence." Attendees will have 24/7 access to all meeting sessions during or beyond the dates of the meeting. Get details and register here.

Aurora Health’s four-week smoking cessation program, Freshstart, is offered at no cost and teaches participants how quit smoking and not be dependent on nicotine, from the comfort of their own home. Sessions will be held on Wednesdays, 3 to 4 p.m., from October 28 through November 18 on Zoom and are sponsored by the American Cancer Society. Register by emailing Laurie.dlouhy@aah.org.

Owing to the collective work of movement builders and advocates, the field of public health has begun to reckon with the longstanding and well documented health impacts of policing and incarceration. This resource from Human Impact Partners includes five recommendations and specific actions for health departments to take to help end police violence.

Despite a sharp increase in demand for LGBTQI+ trainings for medical providers, there is little documentation on the types of experiences that our communities encounter when seeking cancer care. The National LGBT Cancer Network launch our latest project Out: The National Cancer Survey to document the experiences of LGBTQI+ cancer survivors. Developed by a team of LGBTQI+ cancer survivors, oncologists and researchers, the survey will help to inform recommendations for health professionals and cancer care providers. Enrollment is open to any LGBTQI+ person over the age of 18, living in the US, who has received a cancer diagnosis.

Comprehensive school health programs require youth involvement to create environments conducive to healthy, resilient, and successful learners. As part of the Department of Public Instruction’s efforts to encourage youth initiatives, DPI is offering the Student AODA Mini-Grant Program for the 32nd year, the 2020-21 school year. Funds will be available on a competitive basis for schools throughout the state to support education, prevention, and intervention programs designed by the students, targeting alcohol and other drug abuse (AODA) and other youth risk behaviors such as tobacco, traffic safety, violence, suicide, etc. In addition, a major funding priority of the mini-grant program is the involvement of youth in the planning and implementation of the project. Consideration will be given based on the educational value of the project and statewide geographic distribution of funds. The amount of each individual mini-grant award may not exceed $1,000. Applications are due October 9. Get details here.

An informed public plays a significant role in preventing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and mitigating the spread of COVID-19. The importance of reaching all populations is paramount in a pandemic situation, and immigrant populations are particularly vulnerable. Language, cultural, and literacy barriers exist. Immigration issues and discrimination further complicate the situation. Additionally, health and resource information is not static and continues to evolve. Consistent, reliable back-and-forth communication is needed to build and maintain trust. This presentation will describe an innovative approach developed by a collaboration of multiple community partners to develop systems of bi-directional communication and facilitate regular information exchange between health systems, public health officials, resource agencies, and people in the Hmong and Hispanic communities in North Central WI. Access this on-demand webinar here.

The state Department of Health Services has created the series "Up Close With" to disseminate information on the historic toll tobacco has taken on specific populations, including individuals with behavioral health issues, African Americans, American Indians, LGBTQ+ communities, and individuals living in various social economic statuses.

If you are sick of cigarette litter fouling up your living area, get some help from Hold On To Your Butt MKE. They’re offering do it yourself cigarette butt receptacles and clean up kits for your use. Click here for details and to order.

Check out the City of Milwaukee Health Department’s FAQs on preventing COVID-19, the new mask ordinance, and more at this link.

The City of Milwaukee Health Department launched "Ask MHD" to respond to questions about COVID-19. Email askmhdcovid19@milwaukee.gov to ask your question.

If you are looking for where to get food right now, visit 211 Wisconsin, dial 211, or text your ZIP code to 898211. FoodShare is another great way to get the food you need for your family! If you are interested in applying to receive EBT benefits, please visit Wisconsin's Access website. Find more information from Hunger Task Force.

Community Advocates' COVID-19 Resource Pages:

We update these pages frequently. If you have a resource you'd like us to share, please email lkaiser@communityadvocates.net.

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.

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.