Milwaukee County Leaders Applaud Action on Assembly Bill 374

MILWAUKEE, WI – On the heels of Governor Tony Evers signing AB 374 into law, Milwaukee County leadership is applauding the signing which allows for the maximum amount of opioid settlement funds to be paid to Wisconsin counties to fund opioid mitigation and abatement. In response, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services Director Shakita LaGrant-McClain released the following statement:

“The opioid epidemic reaches communities in every corner of our state and Milwaukee County is no exception. Milwaukee County has been on the front lines of battling the opioid epidemic not only in terms of the litigation, but also in terms of deploying resources in the community to battle the epidemic. Preventing death from overdose is of the greatest urgency.

“Over the last year, in the midst of the pandemic, EMS calls for overdoses have continued to increase. We’ve seen an alarming increase in overdose deaths, a nearly thirty percent increase. We’ve seen the opioid problem and the suffering of County residents not only continue but intensify. We have a duty to respond to a growing demand for prevention and treatment services, but the strain the crisis has on local budgets and staff morale during this difficult time cannot be understated.

“This legislation will help our efforts locally by expediting the flow of dollars to communities like ours and help fund critical services that will help save lives and mitigate continued suffering for residents and their loved ones.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.