Dane Co. announces new initiative focused on preventing suicide, overdose deaths
May 5, 2021 12:34 PM Site staff
Updated:
MADISON, Wis. Nearly two dozen Dane County partners are teaming up to help prevent suicide and other premature, preventable deaths as people continue to struggle with mental health during the pandemic.
A task force made up up clinical mental health providers, police officers, first responders, area businesses and judges are coming together to create the “Ending Deaths from Despair Coalition.”
They say their mission is to prevent deaths from suicides, drug overdoses and chronic alcoholism.
“We’re not immune to this in Dane County, despite everything our community has to offer,” Dane County executive Joe Parisi said during a virtual press conference Wednesday. “The opioid overdose epidemic and suicide have been on the rise here, along with the rest of the national, and then came the COVID pandemic and the challenges bro