Medical College of Wisconsin
Medical College of Wisconsin Medical College of Wisconsin
Emergency Medicine
Emergency Medicine

Milwaukee Community Opioid Prevention Effort

This project’s mission is to investigate and provide information on the complexities of the opioid and heroin problem. By promoting evidence-based approaches to local policy makers, researchers and clinical care providers, we hope to reduce the number of opioid related overdose deaths.

Milwaukee COPE (Community Opioid Prevention Effort) Milwaukee Community Opioid Prevention Effort (Milwaukee COPE) is jointly sponsored by:

Since 2005, Milwaukee County has seen a 495% increase in heroin related deaths. In fact, as of August 2015, heroin represented nearly half of all drug related deaths in our county. While these death rates are stark and easiest to measure, they represent but one aspect of the epidemic. It is estimated that 1 in 4 heroin users will develop an addiction. For a more comprehensive analysis of Milwaukee County Opioid data and to access maps and graphs of local data please visit our Milwaukee COPE website's data page.

The goal of this project is to advance our understanding of the scope and nature of this problem utilizing public health sciences and data acquisition to drive targeted prevention efforts that will have a measurable impact in our community. Specifically, this project aims to provide policy makers, researchers, clinical care providers and the community with an understanding of the complexities of the opioid/heroin problem. This greater understanding will foster cross-sector collaboration that will lead to a multipronged, multilayered and integrated approach to prevention that cuts across governmental jurisdictions and all sectors of civil society. To begin this process we must first understand the research that has already been done in the past. For a complete list of the available research, please visit our Comprehensive Literature Review page.

We have accumulated many resources to assist local communities in fighting this epidemic including a Community Resource Inventory, local and national data, and news articles.

Visit the Milwaukee Community Opioid Prevention Effort website for a full list of resources.

Like us on Facebook at Milwaukee Community Opioid Prevention Effort to receive notifications of the latest in opioid overdose prevention efforts.

Email us at mkecommunityopioid@gmail.com for any inquiries about Milwaukee COPE or call us at (414) 955-7674.

References:

  1. National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2015). Drugs of Abuse: Opioids. Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse. Available at Center for Disease Control and Prevention: Injury Prevention & Control: Data & Statistics (WISQARSTM)