For the Tomahawk Leader
ONEIDA COUNTY – The Oneida County Health Department (OCHD), in collaboration with members of the Community, Outreach, Prevention and Education Coalition (COPE), recently completed a Community Substance Use Assessment in Oneida County.
“In response to urgent substance use concerns, communities are compelled to develop solutions,” a release from OCHD said. “We must have this information to implement effective plans to address these concerns.”
OCHD said the following five “key themes or recurring topics” emerged through the assessment:
- A connection between untreated mental health concerns as a risk factor for developing a substance use concern.
- Limited access to mental health and substance use services in the rural community was a barrier for seeking treatment.
- Increasing access to recovery resources within the criminal justice system was identified as a strategy to help improve health outcomes for those experiencing substance use concerns.
- Stigma was the number one barrier preventing individuals from seeking out treatment and recovery services.
- “Social and community connectedness” was identified as an effective community strategy for supporting individuals who are experiencing substance use concerns.
“The assessment helped us learn about the local conditions that contribute to the issue,” OCHD stated. “Assessment participants also gave suggestions for strategies that could help address these issues.”
With the assessment now complete, OCHD said “diverse stakeholders are developing strategies to help address the substance use and misuse issues in our community.”
To learn more about the assessment process and each key theme, visit the Northwoods COPE Section of the OCHD website at www.publichealth.co.oneida.wi.us. Visual and recorded explanations, including the assessment reports, are available.
Contact Jenny at OCHD at 715-369-6186 for more information about the assessment and OCHD’s other local activities.