GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Brown County is recognizing and celebrating the progress of those in the community who are in recovery this month.
The county declared September as Celebrate Recovery Month to raise awareness about resources available for alcoholism and drug addiction in the community and to celebrate those who are sober and/or currently in treatment.
To kick off the month, the county presented a $61,925 ARPA grant to the Jackie Nitschke Center in Green Bay.
The center says it will use the money to hire additional staff to make sure that discharge case management is done smoothly so that every client is linked up to the appropriate services when they leave the center.
During the month, Brown County’s addiction resources and programs will also be highlighted, such as its fentanyl awareness campaign and the first-of-its kind in the nation, Brown County Heroin Treatment Court.
According to Brown County executive, Troy Streckenbach, Brown County has the most alternative courts in the United States.
Executive director of the Jackie Nitschke Center, Jason Latva, says the proclamation accentuates that recovery is possible.
“I think the proclamation today was imperative in so much as what we see on TV regarding addiction and people who are suffering from the disease substance abuse disorder, usually isn’t the celebratory type of things, it’s usually the overdose deaths, drug use on the rise, but there is recovery and we need to celebrate that and the more we’re able to celebrate and take away some of the stigma from the disease substance use disorder, the more people are going to be willing to come in and get help and ask for help,” he said.
One of the places people can seek help is at Green Bay Packers games. The program, Section Yellow, was started in 2019, as a way to create a safe place for those who are sober in an environment that has a lot of drinking. The sober support table is set up for every home game at Lambeau Field and is a place for those needing support or looking for information on recovery. The sober table will also be set up at some area concerts.
To get more information on a treatment plan, you can call the Jackie Nitchke Center at (920) 435-2093.
“It’s really about picking up the phone and making that call and sometimes that phone feels like it’s a thousand pounds, so the more times we can have events like this, it really does make that phone less heavy, right? Because we’re starting to eliminate some of the stigma around this disease,” Latva said.
