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DIRECTOR HIRED TO FIGHT OPIOID PROBLEM

Columbus Journal - 11/7/2017

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced earlier this week that Paul Krupski has been selected to serve as the new Director of Opioid Initiatives to coordinate the department's efforts to end the state's opioid crisis.

"Opioid overdoses and the misuse of opioids, either heroin or prescription pain medications, affects every corner of the state and is destroying families," said DHS Secretary Linda Seemeyer. "We must do whatever we can to end the heartbreak affecting so many. Paul's experience and skills support our efforts to make sure that our response to this crisis is as aggressive and effective as possible."

Krupski, a native of Brown Deer, is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Change and Development. He has previously worked at DHS as a Prevention Coordinator with the Division of Care and Treatment Services and as Preparedness Training and Exercise Coordinator with the Division of Public Health Office of Preparedness and Emergency Healthcare. His professional career has centered on administering and implementing substance abuse policies and strategies.

"Almost every division in DHS is involved in some way with fighting the opioid epidemic," Krupski said. "I look forward to bringing all of those efforts together to meet this crisis head on and put an end to the devastation to individuals, families and communities that is caused by opioid misuse."

In September 2016, Governor Scott Walker issued Executive Order #214 that created the Task Force on Opioid Abuse which is chaired by Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and Representative John Nygren. The governor also called on every state agency to take an "all hands on deck" approach to ending the opioid crisis in Wisconsin. Last week, DHS announced a $17 million investment to improve access to substance abuse and mental health treatment. The opioid epidemic is especially prevalent in rural areas across Wisconsin.