APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A Fox Valley coffee shop is hoping to raise awareness about the ongoing opioid epidemic in Wisconsin.
The goal is to reduce the devastating impact of overdoses.
Downtown Appleton’s ACOCA Coffee and Café has something new on the menu. It’s not a new drink or sandwich, but something that could save lives.
“We are having an OAK box installed, which is an overdose action kit,” said Patti Heffernan, owner of Helios Recovery Services.
OAK boxes are equipped with supplies such Narcan, a breathing mask, gloves, drug administration instructions, fentanyl testing strips, and information about resources for treatment and recovery support.
“There have certainly been instances where we have wondered ourselves at times if some customers were in a situation where they might of been benefiting from something that the OAK box will bring to us,” said Bill Wetzel, owner of ACOCA.
Wetzel says he wanted to install the overdose action kit, because his business is all about the community.
“Just like the AED we thought if we had this available, the OAK box, then maybe somehow, someway we end up saving a life and that’s really an important part of being in the community that we are in downtown Appleton,” said Wetzel.
According to Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services, there were 25 opioid-related deaths in Outagamie County in 2020. In 2021, there were 26.
“I’ve been in the substance use recovery field for about 20 years,” said Heffernan.
Heffernan has also been part of the Fox Valley community for 24 years.
“And I can’t remember the last time that I met somebody who was addicted to opiates that didn’t have a surgery or an accident or an injury of some kind,” said Heffernan.
In the Suspected Opioid Overdose Report, Outagamie County saw a higher number of overdoses in January of this year, compared to 2022 and 2021. The numbers began to decrease as the spring months approached, but jumped again this month — already past May’s numbers.
“There have been increased incidents of overdoses all across the country, and unfortunately, Appleton’s not immune to that as well,” said Heffernan.
The installation of the OAK box aims to make critical resources more readily available within the community in hopes to get those numbers down.
“That’s why we want to be prepared,” said Wetzel.
