Governor’s Interagency Council on Mental Health Releases Action Plan to Continue Addressing Wisconsin’s Mental Health Crisis

Governor's Interagency Council on Mental Health Releases Action Plan to Continue Addressing Wisconsin's Mental Health Crisis

Whole-of-government approach to help improve state supports for mental health

Gov. Tony Evers today kicked off May as Mental Health Awareness Month today with his Interagency Council on Mental Health releasing its statewide action plan outlining how state government can continue to better support mental health in Wisconsin in the years ahead to build upon the Evers Administration's work over the last seven years.

Gov. Evers, who previously declared 2023 the Year of Mental Health in Wisconsin to focus the state's efforts on responding to widespread mental and behavioral health needs of kids and families, created the council to bring together state workers from across 10 different state agencies to examine the current mental health services landscape, identify the root causes of mental health issues, identify and reduce barriers to accessing mental and behavioral health treatment and services, and develop recommendations to improve Wisconsinites' mental health. The recommendations represent solutions targeting the root causes of the mental health crisis in Wisconsin and addressing issues such as stigma, regional differences, barriers, and stressors impacting Wisconsinites' ability to have their needs met and get the care they need.

"I declared 2023 the Year of Mental Health in Wisconsin because, as a governor who is also a father and a grandfather, I'm worried about the state of mental health in Wisconsin, especially for our kids, and we have work to do to make sure folks in crisis can get the care and the support they need. Making sure kids and families across our state can access mental and behavioral healthcare must continue to be a top priority for us as a state, and I'm proud our interagency council is helping make sure this work continues every day to reduce barriers and address gaps in mental health services statewide," said Gov. Evers. "We continue to see mental and behavioral health numbers that are headed in the wrong direction, and I'm concerned this will have consequences for generations if we don't treat it with the urgency it requires. We cannot look back years from now and wish we had done more and sooner, so I want to thank council members for their input and insights on what we can do to address these issues by taking a whole-of-government approach to this work."

The plan includes actions state government can implement immediately to help improve Wisconsinites' mental health, as well as recommendations for additional support like funding, staffing capacity, and legislative action.

The council's recommendations include:

• Integrating systems by:
  • Streamlining service access and care transitions across state agencies.
  • Helping state agencies and partners promote mental health and wellness resources.
• Increasing focus on prevention by:
  • Providing trusted, accurate, and accessible prevention resources.
  • Supporting employee mental health.
• Reducing stigma and increasing awareness by:
  • Improving mental health services through continued mental-health focused conversations with partners. And providing clear next steps and follow-up on how those conversations will influence practice.
  • Facilitating the use of providers who have expertise in serving specific populations.
  • Continuing to support the 988 Crisis and Suicide Lifeline.
• Increasing access to care by:
  • Preserving quality of care while reducing barriers for providers.
  • Partnering with licensing entities and telehealth platforms to broaden access to services in rural areas and for specialized populations needing culturally competent care.
• Continuing to prioritize prevention efforts by:
  • Enacting policies that address social disconnection.
  • Being proactive in offering or continuing mental health services for those in transition such as military to civilian, corrections to community, new Medicaid members, new parents, and new state employees.
  • Incentivizing managed care organizations and providers to improve services and mental health outcomes.
• Ensuring the work in the action plan continues with adequate staffing and funding by:
  • Prioritizing state funding for mental health initiatives.
  • Providing sustained funding for critical programs.
  • Helping organizations gain access to state, federal, and other funding sources.
  • Creating parity in payment and/or coverage across programs.

"These recommendations serve as a roadmap on how we can connect our services and programs to better serve the people of Wisconsin," said Kirsten Johnson, Chair of the Interagency Council on Mental Health and Department of Health Services Secretary. "This plan is actionable, and we will hit the ground running."

The council will continue working across Wisconsin state agencies and partners to develop, implement, track, and monitor progress of the action plan. Updates and more information on the progress will be posted on the Interagency Council on Mental Health webpage.

The council was supported by a robust community and partner engagement effort. Council members traveled the state and held five regional listening sessions, collected over 1,200 survey responses, and held 16 partner meetings to hear how the State of Wisconsin can better serve those who need mental health care. Wisconsinites in every county who participate and work in the mental health system and supporting systems provided invaluable insights.

The council consisted of representatives from the following state agencies: Department of Administration; Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection; Department of Children and Families; Department of Corrections; Department of Health Services; Department of Military Affairs; Department of Safety and Professional Services; Department of Veterans Affairs; Department of Workforce Development; and Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority.