The head of Drug Free Communities of Fond du Lac County says a spike in Wisconsin emergency room visits for suspected opioid overdoses may be, at least in part, due to the way communities are approaching the epidemic. Federal health officials say ER visits increased 109 percent in Wisconsin from July 2016 to September of last year. Ellen Sorensen with Drug Free Communities says Fond du Lac County uses a four pillar approach focusing on harm reduction. “Part of harm reduction is working with the user to meet them where they are at in their addiction or working to make sure they remain aliveuntil they’re ready for treatment,” Sorensen told WFDL news. Sorensen says when a person is taken to the emergency room for treatment, if the addict is willing, they are partnered with a recovery coach. Sorensen says there is a need to enhance mental health services, medication-assisted treatment for addiction and distribution of naloxone, an overdose-reversing drug.
