2024 Madison COSSUP Expansion Initiative

The Madison Area Recovery Initiative (MARI) aims to reduce overdose deaths in Dane County where synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, have replaced heroin and prescription drugs as the main cause of fatal incidents. There has also been an increase in overdose deaths involving cocaine, largely due to fentanyl being mixed with cocaine. The highest rates of drug overdose deaths are among those aged 35-54 with31% occurring among people who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color.  Black individuals are over 4.5 time more likely to die from an overdose compared to Dane County’s population as a whole.  
 
The Madison Police Department and its partners offer a comprehensive proposal to prevent overdose deaths and expand access to treatment, recovery, and support services.  Key activities include expanding drug take-back programs, increasing diversion activities through MARI, and creating a self-referral pathway for individuals on probation and parole. The program will also provide transportation for MARI participants to access assessment and treatment services. 
Other initiatives include expanding the Addiction Resource Team (ART) to include juvenile outreach, peer led support groups in Dane County Jail, and outreach to communities outside of Madison. Additionally, ART will provide fatal overdose grief support and improve coordination of narcotics task force search warrants to support households impacted by investigations 
The program will improve access to real-time overdose incident information to emerging drug trends and ensure Naloxone is available for law enforcement, first responders, jail staff, and other justice system practitioners. Education and prevention programs will connect law enforcement with K-12 students.  The program will explore alternative to incarceration programs with Dane County Jail, improve coordination with the District Attorney’s Opiate Diversion Program 
expedite treatment. It will expand access to evidence-based treatment by coordinating transportation for medication-assisted treatment (MAT) screenings prior to jail booking. 
and funding for assessment, and inpatient care. Two Peer Support Specialists will be embedded in the MPD Mental Health Unit to support justice involved individuals. The initiative will support individuals re-entering the community post incarceration, providing harm reduction resources, transitional housing, and recovery support.