Overdose Prevention Summit for First Responders
The Overdose Prevention Summit for First Responders gathered more than 250 first responders from almost 130 agencies across the state to share and discuss local overdose prevention strategies. At five regional summits in April 2026, 43 speakers presented on overdose prevention efforts and strategies.
The summit series, created in response to feedback received from the Wisconsin Harm Reduction Conference in July 2025, was held in different parts of the state to maximize regional participation and encourage networking and sharing among first responders and local leaders. Topics for all summits included evidence-based overdose response, burnout, naloxone leave-behind programs, and deflection and diversion efforts. The summit series is among many other DHS programs aimed at reducing overdoses and related harms.
Summit organizers are working on an evaluation of each of the summits, which will be used for potential future events like this.
The summit aimed to equip participants to:
- Understand the principles behind evidence-based overdose response and identify ways to implement this response in daily work.
- Learn how fatigue and burnout can influence officer-citizen and provider-patient interactions and how to address these factors to improve health outcomes for first responders and the communities they serve.
- Learn about Naloxone Leave Behind Programs.
- Learn about deflection and diversion efforts and their impact on reducing fatal overdoses.