AG Kaul Meets with EMS Leave Behind Program Recipients

MADISON, Wis. – Today Attorney General Josh Kaul kicked off a series of visits with recipients of the EMS Leave Behind Program made possible from state opioid settlement funds that the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) helped secure. Leave Behind Programs allow EMS professionals to distribute, or “leave behind,” overdose prevention tools and resources at the scene of care, or after transport to a hospital, with the patient and/or their social networks (family, friends, roommates, etc.). This program is part of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ (DHS) plan to use the state’s share of the National Prescription Opiate Litigation settlement with opioid distributors and manufacturers.

“Naloxone and fentanyl test strips prevent overdose deaths,” said Attorney General Kaul. “Thank you to the first responders who are helping to make these products more available.”

“As EMS are often among the first to arrive on the scene of an overdose, this program is a great tool to help people with opioid use disorder get on the path to recovery and to avoid preventable deaths from opioid overdoses,” said Michelle Haese, DHS Director of Substance Use Initiatives.

The EMS Leave Behind Program presents an innovative opportunity to expand access to life saving tools for individuals at high risk for overdose and death. This opportunity will supply EMS providers with funding for the purchase of Narcan® and the purchase of fentanyl test strip supplies for distribution through a Leave Behind Program. DHS has awarded 21 agencies $572,159 for the EMS Leave Behind Program. A list of the recipients and the total award they received is below.

• City of Lake Geneva Fire Department – $6,990
• Deer Grove EMS – $15,000
• City of Franklin Fire Department – $11,916
• City of Greenfield Fire Department – $15,930
• Gunderson Tri State Ambulance – $10,000
• City of Kenosha Fire Department – $6,656
• Laona Rescue Unit – $17,771
• Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin – $15,080
• Menomonee Falls Fire Department – $7,990
• Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management – $40,916
• City of Milwaukee Fire Department – $123,995
• North Shore Fire and Rescue – $70,000
• Northwestern Municipal EMS – $2,752
• City of Oak Creek Fire Department – $14,999
• Oconto Falls Area Ambulance – $26,740
• Orange Cross Ambulance – $9,827
• Portage County EMS – $15,000
• City of Racine Fire Department – $40,493
• City of South Milwaukee Fire Department – $58,000
• City of St. Croix Falls Fire Department – $3,105
• Town of Beloit Fire Department – $59,000

About the National Prescription Opiate Litigation Settlement with Opioid Distributors and Manufacturers

Wisconsin is due to receive more than $750 million through 2038, with 30 percent of the funds to be used for state government projects. The remainder of the funds are for local needs as identified by the county and municipal governments that participated in the litigation. The goals of the national opioid settlement fund agreements require funding to be used for prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery support services.

View this press release on the Wisconsin DOJ website here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.