Winnebago County review highlights programs as fatal overdoses fall 49 percent

Jennifer Skolaski, a presenter from the Winnebago County Overdose Fatality Review (OFR), told the Oshkosh Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee that the OFR uses a confidential, multidisciplinary process to examine fatal overdose cases and recommend system-level changes to prevent future deaths.

The OFR analyzes individual, organizational and systemic factors that touch each decedent’s life, Skolaski said, with a particular focus on social determinants of health and equity. "We look at all those touch points that someone had and think about what policies need to change, what programs or other interventions could there be to save someone's life," she said.

Skolaski said the review has been operating since April 2018 and now involves 49 partners representing 35 agencies, including law enforcement, treatment and recovery providers, public health, education, faith groups and people with lived experience. She said the county has implemented more than 55 recommendations and 12 projects arising from the OFR’s findings.

Winnebago County saw a 49 percent decrease in fatal overdoses last year, Skolaski said, and she noted that "24 is still too many," emphasizing the human toll behind the numbers. In the OFR’s recent case analysis, Skolaski reported demographics and toxicology counts drawn from government documents: 7 victims identified as female and 17 as male; 21 identified as white and 3 as Black; fentanyl was the leading substance with 11 deaths attributed to it. She said age distribution shifted from primarily 18–44 last year to 35–64 this year.

Skolaski described local programs tied to the review’s recommendations. Handle with Care, launched in 2020 between the Oshkosh Police Department and Oshkosh Area School District and later expanded countywide, sends referrals when children have law-enforcement contact; Skolaski said the program has produced 2,113 referrals for care and support since 2020. The Solutions peer response team, started in 2022, places recovery coaches to connect people to services 24/7, including in the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office.

She also detailed the We Heart You campaign — a public-awareness, anti-stigma effort with an accompanying resource card and smartphone app covering Winnebago, Outagamie and Calumet counties. The app includes a "talk to someone" feature that connects users by call, text or chat to local supports 24/7, Skolaski said.

Skolaski urged community members to download and share the app, to learn and spread hope, and to obtain Narcan (naloxone) through the public health department or vending machines. She encouraged volunteering with local recovery and prevention organizations and noted that program funding is subject to change; continued partnership is needed to sustain efforts.

The presentation closed with an invitation for questions and an offer to help committee members connect to OFR resources.