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October 25, 2023

Research

Roughly 70% of Wisconsinites hold onto old opioid prescriptions. Drug Take Back Day can help.

Posted on
Green Bay Press-Gazette

Expired and unused medications can fall into the wrong hands. Consider that less than 30% of opioid prescriptions are actually taken as prescribed for medical purposes. According to a recent study from Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, roughly 70% of people in Wisconsin hold onto their opioid prescriptions well past their need for medication, and it reaches nearly 90% in older Wisconsinites. One study found that leftover prescriptions accounted for nearly 40% of recreational use in high school seniors.

Higher Education/System

Campus life

State news

Wisconsin reaches an all-time high in domestic violence-related deaths

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

In 2022, Wisconsin saw a record-setting increase in domestic violence-related suicides and homicides, up 20 percent compared to the previous year. We talk to Mariel Barnes, an assistant professor in the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison, about why Wisconsin’s domestic violence problem is worsening, and what we can do to improve outcomes for victims.

Arts & Humanities

Health

Wisconsin hospitals face financial challenges, association says

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

UW Hospital reported a 4.1% operating margin last year, but had a net income loss of $15.5 million. UnityPoint Health-Meriter had a 3.0% margin and loss of $17 million.

Meriter’s loss reflects stock market investment losses and the rising costs of medical supplies, pharmaceuticals and staffing, spokesperson Nicole Aimone said. UW Hospital faced similar “financial headwinds,” spokesperson Sara Benzel said.

Athletics

Opinion

Robin Vos insults today’s hardworking University of Wisconsin students — Allen Knop

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Letter to the editor: Vos and his Republican friends constantly say they represent the hardworking taxpayers of Wisconsin. How does keeping money from middle-class working people meet that slogan. Vos keeps claiming that diversity at the Universities of Wisconsin is a bad thing. When I attended a UW school in the 1950s, we saw almost no diversity.

Editorial | Antisemitism and Islamophobia must be opposed with equal vigor

Posted on
The Capital Times

University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin alluded to this concern in a statement about the Oct. 7 attack and its aftermath. She raised the concern that “these devastating developments will fan the global flames of both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, making peace and justice in the region even more elusive.”

Mnookin concluded her statement by noting: “Difficult times can fray our connections and exacerbate our differences. Let us focus on the values that we share. I call on our campus community to care for and support one another, to express your views peacefully and respectfully, and to value our common humanity as we navigate this extremely difficult time, together.”

UW Experts in the News

Wisconsin’s voter ID law is being debated again — with a twist

Posted on
The Capital Times

But in light of Protasiewicz’s victory, Barry Burden, a professor of political science at UW-Madison, noted that “the two parties are looking at the Constitution and litigation differently than they used to.”

He added that voter ID would be a logical place for conservatives to start, if they were serious about pursuing a strategy of embracing constitutional amendments.

Obituaries

Jerome “Jerry/Domie” Vetter

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Upon completion, he started work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Physical Plant Steam-Fitters Shop where he worked for 40 years until his retirement.