This presentation explores the concept and evolution of Harm Reduction, emphasizing its practical challenges and community-level implementation, with Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Services (BHS) as a case study. Harm reduction, as defined by sources like SAMHSA, Wikipedia, and Harm Reduction International, is a public health strategy aimed at minimizing the negative consequences of substance use without requiring abstinence. It emphasizes dignity, equity, and self-determination for people who use drugs (PWUD).
Dr. John Schneider, MD, FAPA, is Chief Medical Officer for Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Services and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Board-certified in Psychiatry, he specializes in trauma-informed care, substance use disorders, and healthcare leadership. With prior roles in crisis services, inpatient psychiatry, and health systems, he blends clinical expertise with operational insight. Dr. Schneider advocates for patient-centered, stigma-free care rooted in evidence-based practices. He actively contributes to shaping mental health policy, education, and program development to improve outcomes and equity across community and hospital-based behavioral health systems.
9:50 – Join for informal conversation (optional)
10:00 – Service begins
11:00 – Coffee hour
Scott writes:
This year’s Earth Day (April 22) affords all of us an opportunity to pause and spiritually reflect on our relationships with earth and its absolutely limited resources. It is in our foundational human nature to take and consume from life around us, but our Unitarian Universalist worldview and values do challenge us to make responsible choices where we can. Do be with us as I struggle with how (together) we can perhaps find the right path forward on Planet Earth.
9:50 – Join for informal conversation (optional)
10:00 – Service begins
11:00 – Coffee hour
Scott writes: On this festive Mother’s Day Sunday we will – as an intergenerational faith community -- celebrate the inspiring ritual of the UU Flower Communion with our youth and children. Later in the service, a number of our members will each reflect on the topic “Parenting as a Spiritual Practice” and offer us some of their “best practices.” Do be with us for this special family-oriented Sunday!
9:50 – Join for informal conversation (optional)
10:00 – Service begins
11:00 – Coffee hour
Scott writes: Many years ago, a wise old ministerial colleague of mine described life as “This Beautiful Tragedy.” This rather stark observation has suck with me all these decades, and I want to reflect on how this view of life might serve to enrich and enhance our days on this earth.
9:50 – Join for informal conversation (optional)
10:00 – Service begins
11:00 – Coffee hour
Sarah Oelberg has been a special education teacher, has written special ed. curriculum for our U.S. Office of Education, was a faculty member at Yeshiva University in New York and at NYU, and trained special ed. teachers in Iowa. She followed her heart as the first in her six-generation Unitarian family to become a UU minister. After serving churches in Nebraska and Minnesota, she retired in 2001 and now she frequently speaks at UCN. She and husband Gerald raised four children and have six grand- and four great-grandchildren.
9:50 – Join for informal conversation (optional)
10:00 – Service begins
11:00 – Coffee hour
Scott writes: Having just celebrated by 76th birthday (May 24th) and preparing with my husband to transition into a senior retirement community in August, I have been thinking a lot about what makes for successful aging – no matter what stage of life you are current navigating. Do be with us as I ponder both the possibilities and inevitabilities of this journey.
9:50 – Join for informal conversation (optional)
10:00 – Service begins
11:00 – Coffee hour
Scott writes: As Father’s Day 2025 approaches next Sunday, we here at UCN are devoting consecutive two Sundays to exploring different aspects of “masculinity” from a Unitarian Universalist perspective. On this Sunday (June 8) I will reflect on the topic of “Toxic Masculinity” at this particularly pivotal moment in American gender culture…to be followed next Sunday (June 15) with a reflection on patriarchy by UCN member Callie Thurow. By focusing on these “gender-based” issues, we hope to offer insights that will enable a positive way forward for both men and women in this culture.
9:50 – Join for informal conversation (optional)
10:00 – Service begins
11:00 – Coffee hour
The meaning of worship is
to be shaped by
what is of worth.
We gather together in spiritual community because we need constant reminders of what matters most in life. In a world of heartbreak and dehumanization, our congregations and communities call us to our better selves. We learn to live with more wisdom, more connection, and more compassion.
Our Worship Services are weekly reflections that weave together our own thoughts and experiences with music, beauty, poetry, and words that both comfort and challenge. Our programs for all ages inspire and awaken us to our capacities to make a difference in our own lives and in the world.
