GREEN BAY, WI – (WGBW & WISS) – Brown County has seen a 50% reduction in opioid-related deaths due to awareness campaigns and the efforts of an overdose task force in the Brown County Public Health Department.

Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach declared fentanyl a public health crisis two years ago. Since that time, Brown County implimented strategies comprised of raising awareness, and addressing the opioid crisis from a prevention, response, and recovery aspect. These efforts have helped Brown County see the number of overdose deaths drop by 50% from September 2023 to September 2024.

“At the time, I was shocked by the data and felt that Brown County needed to be proactive, to educate and empower everyone through data-driven strategies and creating increased access to resources,” said Streckenbach in a press release. “Since then, Brown County’s awareness campaign has made north of 4 million impressions from TV ads, billboards, and direct mailers. We’re starting to bend the curve the right way, but we’re not out of the woods yet.”

Opioid-related deaths by the numbers

Brown County had 62 drug overdose deaths in 2022. Fifty of those overdoses involved fentanyl. In 2023 there were 63 overdose deaths with 49 of those involving fentanyl. As of September 10, 2024, Brown County has had just 17 drug overdose deaths year-to-date. That number includes 11 deaths that involve fentanyl.

A press release said that since September of 2022, Brown County Public Health (BCPH) has been increasing awareness through a multi-media campaign designed to start conversations with young people about what fentanyl is. BCPH then created an overdose task force consisting of multiple partners and community members focused on prevention, response, and recovery, hosting several community listening sessions to learn about needs, ultimately developing an action plan to address those needs.

Brown County credits these efforts for the reduction in opioid-related deaths in Brown County this year.

While Brown County is trending in the right direction, Brown County Public Health Officer Anna Nick says there is still a lot to do. Brown County’s campaign continues to evolve by developing help to prevent people from taking substances in the first place and working on self-coping strategies at an earlier age.

“Helping parents and community leaders understand what is happening in the lives of young people at school, home, among peer groups, and in sports, is important to understand what the stressors are that are driving our youth to take substances that can lead to overdose,” says Nick. “This further allows us to teach our youth healthy skills so when they are faced with stressful situations, their first move isn’t to reach for an addictive substance to cope.”

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