Overdose deaths are preventable.
The purpose of this team is to prevent overdose deaths. The team accomplishes this purpose by examining individual, organizational, and systems level factors related to overdose deaths that occur in Winnebago County. The reviews focus on systems level change to prevent future deaths and not on identifying fault in organizations or individuals connected to the death being reviewed.
Background:
Winnebago County established their Overdose Fatality Review (OFR) team in early 2018 when the Winnebago County Drug and Alcohol Coalition’s Data team wrote and was awarded an Overdose Fatality Review grant from the Department of Justice and Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS). As part of this grant we receive technical assistance from Medical College of Wisconsin and Wisconsin DHS. Overdose deaths have been consistently growing since 2001. Our OFR team has continued to look at the root causes of these overdoses and system level changes we can make to help save lives.
Review Process:
On a monthly basis, the Overdose Fatality Review team reviews cases of people who lost their life to an overdose. The process involves each partner sharing information about the decedent’s life and death, discussion of risk factors and circumstances surrounding each decedent, examination of system issues related to addiction and substance use, and identification of opportunities to influence policy and practice to prevent future overdoses and overdose deaths. Confidentiality is maintained through inter-agency memorandum of understandings (MOUs), signed agreements at each meeting, and de-identification of the decedent during the review meeting. The process is designed to maintain the highest levels of respect for the decedent, those impacted by the death, the partner agencies in the room, and the broader community.
Partner List:
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Contact:
- Jennifer Skolaski, Facilitator (jskolaski@winnebagocountywi.gov)
Winnebago County Overdose Fatality Review Annual Reports:
- 2023-2024
- 2022-2023
- 2021-2022
- 2020-2021
- 2019-2020
- 2018-2019
