A new report offers the findings of a research project that Kenosha County commissioned as part
of ongoing efforts to combat opioid misuse, addiction and overdoses in the community.
The county’s Division of Behavioral Health Services, on behalf of the Opioid Settlement
Advisory Panel that County Executive Samantha Kerkman formed in 2022, engaged with Kane
Communications Group to conduct the research.
This comes as the county is receiving settlement funds from pharmaceutical companies as part of
national, class-action litigation against several producers of prescription opioids. To date,
Kenosha County has received approximately $4.5 million, with additional, unconfirmed amounts
to be paid over the next 15 or more years.
“With these funds continuing to flow into our county, we set out to identify the most impactful
opportunities to use these resources to build a comprehensive approach to combat the opioid
crisis in our county,” Kerkman said. “It was very important for us to get the community’s
feedback to inform the county as we make these critical decisions.”
The research project included two primary objectives:
◼ To explore the effectiveness of services and resources throughout Kenosha County in
relation to opioid prevention and treatment.
◼ To identify areas for improvement in the effectiveness of those services.
The researchers identified housing — particularly recovery housing — as the top area of need,
while also hearing strong feedback about transportation and job assistance.
This was followed closely by support in navigating services and recovery, particularly peer
support specialists and navigators.
Improved education, awareness and communication were also noted as top priorities.
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Members of the Opioid Settlement Advisory Panel said they are pleased with the research
project’s results.
“I appreciate the work of Kane Communications and the participation from the community,” said
County Board Supervisor Guida Brown. “While I’m not terribly surprised by the findings, this
research helps confirm where we should be focusing our efforts. I look forward to working on
these priorities in the months and years to come.”
Pleasant Prairie Police Chief David Smetana said the feedback outlined in the report confirmed
some of the input he and others in the law enforcement community had already received.
“The information gathered in the report more or less corroborated what my thoughts were on this
issue,” Smetana said. “Now the important part is that it gives us a jumping off point to target the
settlement funding toward efforts that can be vetted and have data behind them to best help
people experiencing substance use disorder in Kenosha County.”
Regarding housing, transportation and job assistance, the report noted that respondents across the
community reported concerns with accessible, affordable, safe housing, particularly for people in
recovery. Of particular concern were individuals early in their recovery journey or released
recently from incarceration.
The report recommends expansion of recovery housing, which could pull many community and
peer supports into one location.
As the demand for certified peer specialists in the area far exceeds the current supply, the report
recommends a local investment in navigators — individuals who would be available to meet
with people regularly to discuss their treatment goals, whether their basic needs are being met,
and identify how they can help streamline the processes that surround recovery.
“Navigation support could be strengthened with centralized coordination of services by the
county to ensure a “no wrong door” ethos to accessing support,” the report states, adding that
offering a centralized point of entry to services staffed by informed navigators would elevate the
role and effectiveness of the navigators.
Additionally, the report makes recommendations on strengthening supports for families of
people affected by opioid use and the use of co-responders for law enforcement — specially
trained staff that would be deployed along with officers called to intervene in crises related to
opioid misuse.
The survey that generated the findings was focused on the treatment-and-recovery community
but was also available on the county website for all to see and complete.
Kenosha County Division of Behavioral Health Services Director Kari Foss said the research
report will be a valuable resource going forward.
“Now the work will turn to how we can move the needle to address these specific concerns that
the community has shared,” Foss said. “I’m thankful to everyone who weighed in in the survey,
and to the Opioid Settlement Advisory Panel for its support of this process.”
Information available online:
The full research report is available on the Kenosha County website, at
https://www.kenoshacounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/23204/KC—Opioid-Research-Findings-
Report-FINAL-250213.
The county has also created an online dashboard, to be updated regularly, to provide public
updates on how the opioid settlement funds are being used. This is available at
https://www.kenoshacounty.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/7317.
A similar, statewide dashboard on the use of opioid settlement payments to all Wisconsin
counties and municipalities, published by Forward Analytics, is available at
https://www.forward-analytics.net/latest-news/forward-analytics-interactive-opioid-payment-
tool/.
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