Madison, Wis. – The Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration awarded MetaStar, in partnership with Sauk County Public Health, $1 million to strengthen and expand prevention, treatment, and recovery services for substance use disorder (SUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) in Sauk County, Wisconsin. This three-year award is part of the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP).
“MetaStar has a long history of improving the quality of health and health care for Wisconsinites,” said MetaStar Chief Executive Officer Jesi Wang. “We’re ready to leverage this experience and address the opioid crisis head on in Sauk County, which in 2019 was in the bottom 20 percent of Wisconsin counties for opioid-involved drug overdose deaths and hospital encounters.”
“Unfortunately 2020 was the worst year in recorded history regarding opioid overdose deaths in Sauk County. Sauk County Public Health looks forward to partnering with MetaStar to continue to combat this everchanging issue,” Sauk County Health Educator Ethan Borchardt.
Sauk County is particularly challenged to combat substance SUD and OUD, being a rural community with a tourist-based economy. Interstate 90/94, a major corridor between Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota and Chicago, Illinois, runs through Sauk County, increasing accessibility in the county to opioids, methamphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, and other drugs of abuse.
A consortium has been developed in Sauk County to maximize the impact of this grant. The Sauk County Continuum of Care Consortium (S4C), builds upon existing trusted partnerships and includes members representing diverse settings within Sauk County, all committed to promoting healthier communities through drug-related prevention, treatment, and recovery. S4C members include MetaStar, Sauk County Public Health, Baraboo Police Department, City of Reedsburg Police Department, Dells-Delton EMS Commission, Ho-Chunk, Lutheran Social Services, Merrimac Fire & Rescue, Reedsburg Area Ambulance Service Commission, Reedsburg Area Medical Center, Satori House Recovery, Sauk Prairie Healthcare, SSM Health St. Clare Hospital-Baraboo, and WisHope.
About MetaStar
MetaStar, Inc. is a nonprofit organization with a vision of optimal health for all. With more than 45 years of experience, MetaStar works alongside those in the health care system to improve the quality of health and health care. MetaStar offers consulting services to improve the quality of health care, specializing in the implementation and understanding of government and legislative initiatives. Learn more at www.metastar.com.
This press release is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1 million with 0 percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.