MILWAUKEE, WI- Upgraded HOPE kits are now available to the public to help prevent accidental overdoses in Milwaukee County.
The kits are distributed through the Milwaukee Overdose Response Initiative (MORI), a community-wide collaboration between the Milwaukee Fire Department, Milwaukee Health Department and others.
Teams have been distributing HOPE Kits since November 16, 2021. But on March 25, 2022, the kits got an upgrade and now include 2 fentanyl test strips which detect the presence of fentanyl in powders or injectables. The kits also include one 2-pack of Narcan nasal spray, one single-use CPR face shield, as well as other information and community resource information cards.
Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski says they have 1,000 kits available.
“We need to get these into the hands of anybody who thinks either themselves or a family member or a friend, even users amongst themselves, they care about each other just the same. They want to prevent seeing another, one of their friends or family members die from this,” said Lipski.
He says if you need a kit, just ask any firefighter or go to any fire station and they will provide one free of charge, no questions asked.
“We’ll be happy if we run out of these things.”
