Month: August 2022

September 27 “Only Leaves Should Fall” Mini Events

If you are concerned about falling or have fallen in the past, please join us on Tuesday, September 27 at the Triangle Community Ministry or Mt. Zion Baptist Church to learn about strategies to prevent a fall. These events are FREE and lunch is included. After lunch, participants will progress through a series of screenings, such as vision, blood pressure, gait, and medication to help determine one’s fall risk. Then participants will leave with information about how to prevent a fall to continue living a healthy, independent life.

We know that falls are the number one cause of injury death among our older adult population in Wisconsin. The rate of fall deaths in WI is more than twice the national average. The good news is that we can help change these sobering statistics! Falls as we age are not inevitable and when equipped with the right tools and strategies, we can prevent falls from happening in the first place.

We would like to thank all of our partners involved in these two events: The Triangle Community Ministry and Mt. Zion Baptist Church for hosting; UW-Madison Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, and Nursing programs, Madison College Occupational Therapy Assistant program, and Edgewood College Nursing program for conducting screenings and working with participants at both locations; UW Health and St. Mary’s for lunch; and the African American Health Network, the Dane County Falls Prevention Task Force, and the Community Academic Aging Research Network (CAARN) for helping to make these events possible.

For more information about either event, please call Ashley Hillman at 608-235-1957. While the events at both locations are free, we do ask that you register ahead of time by calling the following numbers:

Triangle Community Ministry: Call Nurse Carri at 608-257-8517

Mt. Zion Baptist Church: Call 608-255-5270

Drunken driving crashes spike in Dane County; at least 11 killed in first half of 2022

This article originally appeared on Madison.com and can be found here.
Chris Hubbuch | Wisconsin State Journal

Drunken driving crashes — including at least 11 fatalities — rose sharply during the first half of 2022, according to a new report.

There were 80 automobile crashes between January and June involving alcohol, 41% more than the five-year average, according to the Dane County Traffic Safety Commission, a coalition of public and private organizations working to improve traffic safety.

While the commission is continuing to analyze the data, co-chair Cheryl Wittke said the rise in drunken driving correlates with an increase in drinking since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.

“There’s just been an overall spike in alcohol use,” Wittke said.

Of 16 fatal crashes this year, 11 involved drivers whose blood alcohol levels exceeded the legal limit of 0.08%, in some cases by up to three times. Wittke said the actual number of alcohol-related fatalities is likely higher because of the time it takes to get lab results on blood drawn after a crash.

Wittke, who also serves as executive director of Safe Communities of Madison-Dane County, said the commission is working on prevention strategies to be rolled out this fall. “We believe it’s preventable,” she said.

The Dane County Sheriff’s Office and 13 police departments have grant funding from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Safety to cover overtime for high-visibility traffic enforcement efforts aimed at curbing dangerous driving.

“We live in a state where heavy drinking has become normalized,” said Brian Dunleavy, whose 20-year-old son, Conor, was killed in 2012 when the car he was riding in was struck by an intoxicated driver going 100 mph on his way from one bar to another.

Lawren Prisk, 52, served seven years in prison for the crash. “I grew up in a household where my parents were big entertainers,” Dunleavy said. “We watched adults, you know, drinking a lot. They were all professional people. We thought that was OK.”

Dunleavy, a retired Madison school teacher who now lives in Milwaukee, said with the availability of ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft there’s no excuse for drinking and driving.

“I’m not asking people not to drink,” he said. “You need to have that game plan in place before you set out on the night. Your executive functioning definitely goes south after a few beers.”

Dane County Sees 41% Increase in Car Crashes Related to Alcohol Use

This article originally appeared in the Capital Times and can be found here.
By Allison Garfield

Dane County has seen a 41% increase in the number of car crashes related to alcohol use in 2022 compared to the previous five years, a new Traffic Safety Commission analysis found.

In total, 80 crashes from January to June involved alcohol use, compared to the previous five-year average of 57, including crashes resulting in injury or death.

While there have been 16 fatal crashes in the county this year, of those, 11 involved alcohol use.

Cheryl Wittke is a co-chair on the commission and executive director of Safe Communities of Madison-Dane County, a local nonprofit coalition of over 350 organizations working to increase traffic safety. She said the county’s trend is “disturbing” and “devastating.”

“We continue to see excessive use of alcohol as a factor in most crashes, and it doesn’t have to happen. We really can’t lose sight of the impact that the crashes have, especially on the victims and the families,” Wittke said.

Most of the Dane County fatal crashes occurred outside Madison in Fitchburg, the village of Blue Mounds, and towns of Oregon, Vienna, Dunkirk, Rutland, Dunn and Albion.

While the Traffic Safety Commission is working to determine the cause of the spike, Wittke speculated it has to do with increased alcohol consumption during the pandemic.

Alcohol is ingrained in Wisconsin’s culture; the state has the highest rate of excessive alcohol consumption in the nation, according to data from the United Health Foundation.

That also means challenges from excessive drinking appear particularly acute, as well. From 2000 to 2010, alcohol-induced deaths in the state increased by 26.6%, according to a Wisconsin Policy Forum report. Then, from 2010 to 2020, those deaths more than doubled, increasing by 115.4%.

And alcohol sales continued to climb well into the pandemic.

“As a culture, we have been drinking more alcohol during the pandemic. Already, we were consuming more previous to that, but the pandemic really amped things up,” Wittke said. “The speculation is that’s part of what’s driving the increase in in these fatalities and alcohol-related crashes.”

She said it’s time for Wisconsinites, law enforcement and local officials to “take a step back” and examine the dangerous effects of drinking and driving.

Thirteen Dane County police departments, the county Sheriff’s Office — all of which are TSC-members — have grant funding from the state’s Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Safety to cover police overtime for traffic enforcement efforts aimed at curbing dangerous driving behaviors.

Wittke contended much more needs to be done.

“We can’t enforce our way out of this problem. There just will never be enough police resources,” she said. “That’s what’s really exciting about the Traffic Safety Commission … we’ll be figuring out how to how to implement some strategies to address the problem.”

The upward trend is a continuation of one Dane County saw last year as well, with an unprecedentedly high number of fatal crashes in 2021 caused by both speeding and drug use. As a result, the TSC gave four task forces the job of finding solutions.

She said TSC and all its local partners will have to think creatively to address the trend, but the first step is awareness and education.

“(We’re) putting it back on the radar that this is not acceptable, and it’s definitely going the wrong direction,” Wittke said.

The city’s Vision Zero initiative aims to eliminate traffic deaths and severe injuries on city streets to prevent avoidable fatal crashes using data-driven strategy. A key policy platform for Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, her office did not respond to questions of how the initiative intends to address the major spike in alcohol-related crashes by publication.

Unique Steppin’ – Improve your dance moves AND your balance!

Join us on Saturdays from 1-3pm starting August 20 as Safe Communities and Madison School & Community Recreation (MSCR) collaborate to offer Unique Steppin’ to improve balance AND dance moves. While this program is intended to improve your balance, there’s an added bonus of improving your dance moves all while having fun. Roy Jones is the Unique Steppin’ instructor and has experience with this Chicago style of dance and is gifted at teaching others about something he, himself, is so passionate about doing.

According to research, there is evidence that dance improves balance as we age. Using both the brain and the body at the same time challenges one in a way that improves our “functional capacity”.[1] Improving balance is so important in preventing a fall. As we age, we often lose strength in certain areas of our bodies that are integral to daily movement, such as sitting in a chair, standing from a chair, and stepping over a curb. When we can more safely navigate our environment, we can enjoy our environment more fully, which gives us more independence.

In addition to improving balance, this class is an opportunity to engage with others. We all know that Covid has prevented social interaction and has led to isolation in many cases. Social isolation can lead to various types of negative health outcomes. It’s important that we connect with one another. Unique Steppin’ provides people with that opportunity.

Whether you’ve never heard of Steppin’ or you’ve participated in Steppin’ competitions, all are welcome at the Unique Steppin’ class at MSCR East on Cottage Grove Rd. The only things you need are comfortable clothing and shoes, water, and a positive attitude! Roy will be there to greet you and to help you on your balance AND dance journey!

[1] Rodríguez B, Paris-Garcia F. Influence of Dance Programmes on Gait Parameters and Physical Parameters of the Lower Body in Older People: A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jan 29;19(3):1547. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19031547. PMID: 35162569; PMCID: PMC8835694.

Settlement Funds Will Support Plan Against Opioid Epidemic

This story originally appeared on www.NBC15.com.

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – This year, the Department of Health Services expects to get nearly $31 million for the task to fight Wisconsin’s opioid epidemic.

The funds are the result of a settlement, as part of the National Prescription Opiate Litigation. About $6 million arrived as a first payment in late July, the DHS announced. DHS Secretary-Designee Karen Timberlake said Monday the plan to distribute the funds has been submitted to the state Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance.

Divided into three phases, the plan would largely tackle immediate needs, increase access to services around the state and invest in long term projects. Among the proposed figures, $3 million would increase the statewide availability of Narcan, the drug used to reverse opioid overdoses.

Set aside is even more money for capital projects, to expand prevention, treatment and recovery services.

“The longer we delay, the more we put at risk those who would benefit most from these life-saving investments,” Timberlake said.

Attorney General Josh Kaul (D-Wisconsin) spoke alongside health officials Monday.

“These funds have an opportunity to transform the response to the opioid epidemic and, finally, to turn the corner in this fight,” he said. “It’s critical though that those funds get to our communities as soon as possible because communities and families across the state of Wisconsin continue to suffer from the impacts of substance use disorder and from opioid overdoses.”

The Department of Justice has been working to “hold opioid companies accountable for their role in this epidemic,” according to Kaul.

Wisconsin’s opioid crisis began in the late 1990s, Timberlake said, amounting to an almost 900 percent increase in opioid overdose deaths from 1999 to 2018.

According to DHS data comparing demographic groups in 2020, Black people in Wisconsin had the highest rate of all opioid deaths.

“We don’t want to see our Black men or women ,again, dying from this when they don’t have to,” Carola Gaines, co-chair of the African American Opioid Coalition, said. “If they really want to change the narrative and they really want to transform issues then hopefully some of this funding will be involved in harm reduction, recovery housing and treatment.”

In the years to come, Wisconsin is due to receive more than $400 million in total settlement funds. Thirty percent of total funds will stay at the state level, while 70 percent will go to local governments.

Month: August 2022

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