Chippewa County is marking International Overdose Awareness Day with a message focused not only on lives lost — but on recovery and hope.
The Chippewa County Department of Public Health is expanding its “Think Outside the Stigma” campaign with three new billboards in Elk Mound, Bloomer and Cornell.
They join existing billboards in Cadott and Lake Hallie, spreading the campaign across more of the county.
The message has a particularly local connection: the billboard design was created by a participant in the Chippewa County Recovery Court program, drawing on their own experiences with stigma, substance use disorder, mental health challenges and recovery.
Public Health officials say stigma can prevent people struggling with substance use from seeking treatment or asking for help. The campaign encourages the community to see people beyond their past and recognize that recovery is possible.
On Overdose Awareness Day, residents are also being encouraged to learn about substance use disorder, carry naloxone, connect people with available resources and listen without judgment.
