WI health, law enforcement groups make mental health a priority
MILWAUKEE - The Wisconsin Department of Justice wants to make mental health a top priority in the state. To do that, the DOJ is teaming up with a number of health and law enforcement organizations -- and recommending improvements.
For people who may be experiencing a severe mental health crisis, a coalition wants you to know it is working to make services better.
"Right now Wisconsin has just one statewide facility that serves as a facility that's available if no other in-patient psychiatric beds are available. That's Winnebago Mental Health," said Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul
Kaul said there are two goals to improve the emergency detention system. The first is to increase funding for crisis services and peer support programs.
"Those are interventions that are less restrictive than emergency detention and hopefully having more of those options around the state will mean reduced travel time for the people who are suffering from a mental health crisis," Kaul said.
The second goal is making improvements to emergency detention as a whole. Some examples include a crisis intervention team and more beds for patients who need mental health services.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Wisconsin makes up one part of the coalition and said it fully supports this type of reform.
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"The concerns of mental illness should not be treated any differently than a physical health crisis," said Mary Kay Battaglia, Executive Director NAMI.
The coalition hopes its recommendations will be included and addressed by the legislature during the upcoming state budget process.
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