Take a Stand for SBIRT in Wisconsin
Please join the following organizations and individuals in "signing on" to our statement of support for SBIRT services (see below), as coordinated by the Wisconsin Initiative to Promote Healthy Lifestyles:

Addiction Resource Council, Inc.
The Alliance
Business Health Care Group
CRC Health Group
Children's Health Alliance of Wisconsin
City of Madison
Community Health Systems Inc.
Dane County Coalition to Reduce Alcohol Abuse
Fort HealthCare
Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire
Kathleen Falk, Dane County Executive
Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin
Mental Health America of Wisconsin
Milwaukee County District Attorney
Ministry Behavioral Health
Polk County Board of Health
QuadMed LLC
Visonex LLC
Wisconsin Association on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse
Wisconsin Association of Family and Children's Agencies
Wisconsin Cares, Inc.
Wisconsin Council on Children and Families
Wisconsin Hospital Association
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce
Wisconsin Medical Society
Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association
Wisconsin Safety Council
Wisconsin State Council on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (SCAODA)
WISDOM/Gamaliel Foundation

The statement and supporters' names will appear in various publications and awareness efforts. To add your name, please send an e-mail with the subject line "statement of support" to info@wiphl.org. Your public statement of support is invaluable to the success of this project. We thank you!

Statement of Support for SBIRT in Wisconsin

Whereas, alcohol and drug misuse is a major public health problem that is the fourth leading cause of death and hospitalization in Wisconsin and has given our state these tragic distinctions:

• Wisconsin regularly leads U.S. rankings for high-risk and heavy drinking

• Wisconsin leads the U.S. in drunken driving

• Binge drinking among Wisconsin adults is the highest in the nation and is rising among people under 21

• One out of four Wisconsin residents engage in illicit drug use or alcohol use to a degree defined as "at risk" by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; and

Whereas, alcohol and drug misuse results in lost productivity, higher health insurance premiums, and other expenses for Wisconsin employers and more than $5 billion each year paid by our health care, social services, and criminal justice systems; and

Whereas, the effectiveness of SBIRT has been demonstrated in numerous studies, is considered best practice by leading national medical associations for identifying and treating substance misuse even at an early stage, and is being funded in a number of states (including Wisconsin) by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; and

Whereas, SBIRT can be applied to many damaging and costly health behaviors, including those that often co-occur with alcohol and drug misuse; and

Whereas, SBIRT can be implemented in general health care settings as a routine, universally administered part of any health care visit in a manner that overcomes stigma and other cultural or socioeconomic barriers; and

Whereas, more than 400,000 Wisconsin residents are in need of treatment for substance use disorders but only 10-20 percent of them receive it;

The organizations and individuals named above express their support for Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral-to-Treatment services being implemented in general health care settings under the coordination of the Wisconsin Initiative to Promote Healthy Lifestyles.

Statement of Support (pdf)