APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The opioid epidemic has swept across the nation, and the Fox Valley is no exception.
A summit to help better understand opioid-use and how to treat it was held Wednesday in Appleton.
More and more people are overdosing in Wisconsin from the use of opioids. And while first responders are becoming all too familiar responding to those calls, not many know how to help afterward.
The Fox Valley Healthcare Readiness Coalition is hoping to change that.
“An addiction is a disease, and so they’re going to continue dealing with these people, so it’s important to know the resources that are around and how to talk with people,” said the Coalition’s coordinator Tracey Froiland.
Froiland tells FOX 11 the Greater Fox Valley Opioid Summit is meant to teach first responders about the opioid crisis, and what resources are out there to help people.
“We found some big gaps, and those gaps were around what resources that we had in the Fox Valley that they could refer or help people with.”
Organizers of the summit say, in today’s world, an event like this has unfortunately become necessary.
There were six breakout sessions at the summit.
They included how to safely respond to drug overdoses, and what strategies to use in getting opioid victims the help they need.
But the one that possibly resonated the most was hearing from an addict about his own recovery.
“It was impactful to hear the raw, you know, authentic side of it; of someone who actually experienced it,” said recovering addict Jake Wissink. “I think it was beneficial for myself to help them.”
Froiland says it wasn’t a question of if they should hold this summit, but when.
“The ‘when’ is now,” she said. “It’s time for us to all come together, and take boundaries apart to help our communities be the best they can.”
The sessions at the summit were repeated twice to allow attendees to sit-in on multiple discussions held there.
