City leaders host overdose awareness campaign event

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee city leaders launched an awareness campaign Wednesday called "Connections to Heal: Shining the Light on MORI," to help people addicted to opioids.

The Milwaukee Overdose Response Initiative (MORI) aims to prevent repeated overdoses per victim. 

It provides free resources and treatment to help people overcome the disease.

Posters and other materials will be circulated around high-risk neighborhoods.

"Opioids can be very addictive and dangerous, especially now that we know that there's a number of synthetics or manufactured opioids on the market that we don't know what's in them," said Jeanette Kowalik, Commissioner of Health.

The program is led by the Milwaukee Fire Department. So far it has identified more than 380 people deemed at-risk of a repeated overdose.

They've followed up with dozens of those patients. 

At least ten of them sought help and were taken to treatment facilities.