Milwaukee County Launches Opioid Settlement-Funded Initiative ‘Better to Know’
On National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day 2026
MILWAUKEE—Today, the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Behavioral Health Services (BHS) launched a new initiative to address the prevalence of adulterants and opioid overdoses in Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities, expanding prevention, outreach, and education about fentanyl and other drugs. The community-driven initiative “Better To Know” will connect people to trusted information, practical resources, and support to help prevent overdose and reduce harm. A network of 15 trusted community ambassadors will be selected, including individuals with lived experience, faith leaders, barbers and stylists, recovery leaders, neighborhood leaders, educators, and community health workers—who will help share accurate information and connect people to resources where they live, work, worship, and gather. The ambassadors will be trained in how to help their communities adopt harm reduction habits. Each person will be compensated to complete training, share information, and provide information about carrying Narcan and using drug testing strips. This is the most recent opioid settlement-funded project to address overdoses across the Milwaukee community. In total, DHHS is executing 14 unique projects funded with opioid settlement funds, marking a significant investment in prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction.
“This project expands our investment in harm reduction and community-based prevention strategies, connecting individuals who may not be aware of the presence of adulterants and life-saving resources,” said Jennifer Wittwer, Director, BHS Community Access to Recovery Services (CARS). “We know that trusted community partnerships strengthen overdose prevention efforts and reach people where they are at.”
The 15 community ambassadors will be trained to increase the number of people who include harm reduction supplies in their everyday routines, and the number of cultural spaces that treat this as their own practice. Each person will be compensated to complete training, share information, and help others carry Narcan and use drug testing strips. The application to become a community ambassador opens August 21, 2026, and closes September 15, 2026. To apply to become a Community Ambassador, click here or scan the QR code. Selected Ambassadors will be announced September 25. Community ambassador training will take place from October through December 2026, with a training graduation to be held in December. The ambassadors will be in communities until August 2027 working to embed harm reduction supplies and messaging into spaces where they live, work, and play to and move people towards using them.
“We are thrilled to be officially kicking off the Better To Know campaign, which is a continuation of Milwaukee County’s community-based harm reduction work, funded with opioid settlement dollars. This project is unique in that it is informed by a community-based participatory approach,” said Africa Lucas, FOCUS Project Director. “The initiative is informed by the community members it’s serving and guided by the creative advisory board members’ cultural relevance and cultural impact.”
FOCUS: “Featuring Our Community’s Untold Stories” initiative conducted extensive research that found that residents prefer culturally responsive communication, trusted relationships, dignity, hope, and practical information that helps them make informed decisions.
This became the foundation for “Better To Know,” whose message is simple: Know the truth. Know what to do. Know where to go. Know how to help. Rather than creating new systems, Better To Know strengthens relationships with trusted messengers and networks already serving Milwaukee County communities, transforming everyday relationships into a powerful public health asset that advances overdose prevention, harm reduction, and community well-being.
The proposed project complements and builds upon existing local, regional, and statewide opioid remediation efforts including Harm Reduction (HR) Vending Machines (total of 25 HR vending machines will be placed in the community); Mobile Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Units; and Injection Drug Use Treatment and State Opioid Response grant funding from the Department of Health Services (DHS) for the purpose of providing treatment services to people who inject drugs or have an opioid use disorder.
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.
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