Media contact:
Jessica Geschke, BS, CSAC, RC
Certified Substance Abuse Counselor, Recovery Coach
Wisconsin Voices for Recovery
608-235-9745
jessica.geschke@fammed.wisc.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 21,2020
Wisconsin Voices for Recovery Launches
Nalox-ZONE – Community-placed Opioid Overdose Prevention Project
Each box will contain naloxone nasal spray as well as instructions on how to administer the drug and information about resources for treatment and recovery support. The naloxone is provided through the Wisconsin Voices for Recovery ED2 Recovery program, which is supported by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services through Wisconsin’s State Opioid Response Grant.
Naloxone, brand name NARCAN®, is a specific, high-affinity opioid antagonist used to treat confirmed or suspected opioid overdose. Although initially used in emergency department settings, the administration of naloxone has expanded to use by first responders and the family and friends of overdose victims. Opioids continue to be the main cause of drug overdose deaths in Wisconsin and throughout the country.
“We developed this project because we want to have the ability to provide naloxone in the case of overdose and for those actively using opioids to be able to reach out and get naloxone with no questions asked,” Jessica Geschke, Outreach Specialist of Wisconsin Voices for Recovery stated. Geschke believes that many people who struggle with substance use disorder do not go out of their way to obtain naloxone due to the stigma around drug abuse and that this new form of access could circumvent that obstacle.
Serve You Rx President and Chief Executive Officer Sharon Murillo agrees. The company she leads is a strong supporter of opioid addiction recovery efforts as evidenced by its actions that include funding the start of Nalox-ZONE in Wisconsin, establishing itself as a recovery-friendly workplace, and offering an Opioid Risk Management Program free of charge to its clients.
“Until people and companies stop viewing addiction as a character flaw and see it as a disease, stigma around addiction will continue to be one of the biggest obstacles to saving lives,” said Murillo. “We, as a community, need to work together to remove obstacles that prevent people from getting the help they need. Now more than ever, the success of communities in combatting the overdose crisis will depend on socially responsible corporate partners who support recovery programs, like this one, which has people with lived experience leading the way.”
Wisconsin Voices for Recovery’s initial plans are to distribute approximately 25 boxes with hopes of expanding the program to include more locations in the future. Posters and fliers listing the locations of the boxes will be posted in community and business locations. Organizations interested in supporting the Nalox-ZONE project are encouraged to contact Jessica Geschke at Wisconsin Voices for Recovery, jessica.geschke@fammed.wisc.edu.
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About Wisconsin Voices for Recovery
Wisconsin Voices for Recovery seeks to unite people who are in and seeking recovery and their family members, professionals, and allies. It is supported by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. The team consists of recovery advocates who are focused on taking action and who believe that solution to today’s most pressing issues are grounded in community.
About Serve You Rx
Serve You Rx is a full-service pharmacy solutions provider based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that specializes in pharmacy benefit management, mail order services, and specialty medication management. For more than 30 years, Serve You Rx has been collaborating with benefit advisors, third party administrators, and employer groups to design and deliver strategies that reduce prescription drug costs and ensure appropriate utilization of and access to affordable and clinically appropriate medication therapies. As an active participant fighting the nation’s opioid epidemic, Serve You Rx operates its own Opioid Risk Management Program, which is provided at no cost to clients, and supports many organizations advocating for addiction recovery efforts, including serving as a corporate sponsor of the national Mobilize Recovery movement.
