Overdose Prevention Education
The City of Milwaukee Office of African American Affairs offers health literacy education, community-level prevention education classes, and training on Fentanyl Awareness and Overdose Intervention.
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Mental Health & Drug Use Awareness for Teens
Drug use and mental health challenges are connected. Discover tools to support teens and parents.
You Have the Power to Save a Life
Naloxone can reverse an opioid (including fentanyl) overdose and save a loved one’s life.
Free Nalaxone
Where can people access Naloxone and get more information? No questions asked.
- Any fire station in Milwaukee
- Office of African American Affairs, 4830 W. Fond du Lac Ave.
414-286-0222 | [email protected] - Samad’s House, 2875 N. 23rd St.
- Sixteenth Street Community Health Center
- Vivent Health
- Milwaukee Health Department Clinics
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Keenan Health Center, 3200 N 36th St.
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Northwest Health Center, 7630 W Mill Rd.
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Southside Health Center, 1639 S 23rd St.
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Zeidler Municipal Building, 841 N Broadway
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Naloxone 
Naloxone works by rapidly reversing the effects of an opioid overdose, including respiratory depression. It’s available as an injectable or as a nasal spray, also known by the brand name Narcan. Naloxone is safe (it’s not psychoactive), effective (it’s specifically designed to reverse an opioid overdose), and easy to use.
In Milwaukee Naloxone is often available for free from harm reduction programs, many community-based organizations, and other agencies.
Sunday, August 31, 2025 is National Overdose Awareness Day
- United States Drug Enforcement Administration Overdose webpage
- Methadone Clinics in Milwaukee, WI | Methadone Centers - Chemical Dependency Counseling and Treatment Centers with Helpline Phone Numbers
Overdose Deaths and the Black Community in The United States:
- Before the COVID-19 pandemic, overdose deaths increased in the Black population, while leveling off in the white population at the same time, indicating a clear need for services focused on racial equity. Under the COVID-19 pandemic, racial disparities in overdose deaths have since worsened dramatically, with rates of fatal overdose among Black people exceeding rates among white people for the first time in 20 years.
- Fatal overdose deaths rose 144 percent among Black women between 2015 and 2020. Among women who use drugs.
- Black and American Indian/Alaska Native men are most likely to die of a preventable drug overdose, and the national rates of fatal overdose among Black men has risen 213% since 2015.
- From 2004 to 2019, stimulant-involved overdose deaths were highest among the Black persons.
- Black communities may not be aware that they call opioids by different names like “lean” and “percs”
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Black communities may not be aware that substances like crack and cocaine most likely contain the opioid fentanyl.
In Milwaukee County fatal overdoses among Black people increased by 52% between 2020 and 2021, this the highest rate of increase of any racial group. These preventable fatal overdoses are happening for people of all ages including family members, friends, teachers, neighbors. But they don't have to.
You can save lives and stop drug overdose by:
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Knowing the signs of an overdose:
- Small, constricted "pinpoint pupils”
- Falling asleep or losing consciousness
- Slow, weak, or no breathing
- Choking or gurgling sounds
- Limp body
- Cold and/or clammy skin
- Discolored skin (especially in lips and nails)
- Using naloxone. Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. Naloxone is safe and easy to use and works almost immediately.
- Using fentanyl test strips to detect the presence of fentanyl in different kinds of drugs.
- Having regular conversations with teens, young people, and loved ones about the dangers of fentanyl, the risks of mixing drugs, and the life-saving power of naloxone to reduce the stigma around seeking help, treatment, and care.
- Sharing treatment resources, like the 24/7 National Helpline— 800-662-HELP (4357).
Harm Reduction
Harm reduction is an approach to drug use that places the health and dignity of people who use drugs as the first priority of any response. Harm reduction can take many forms, from interventions such as Naloxone or sterile syringes, to health services like medications or counseling, to supportive services such as housing and supervised consumption spaces.
Additional resources: