Evers promises $150M for mental health, BadgerCare expansion
By Patrick Lynn
Gov. Tony Evers says he’s earmarked funds to improve mental health services and expand BadgerCare access in his 2021-23 budget.
The budget, released on Feb. 7, included $55 million over the biennium to strengthen mental health programs for public schools. The funds will be dispersed via grants and Department of Public Instruction programming, Evers said.
Funding will also be used to expand the Child Psychiatry Consultation Program across the entire state.
The budget also includes $25 million for reforming crisis intervention and emergency detention.
Evers’ plans include:
- Provide funding to support the multiple Regional Crisis Centers that would provide crisis urgent care
- Funding to support multiple Regional Crisis Stabilization Facilities to support a community-based treatment approach that aims to reduce the need for future intensive care
- Increasing funding for the Crisis Intervention Training Grant program to provide enhanced training for law enforcement regarding situations involving mental health crises
- Funding to support additional staff for county and peer-run respite center crisis phone lines
- Providing funding to support a new Emergency Response Collaboration Grant to establish collaboration programs between local law enforcement and behavioral healthcare providers to simultaneously respond to 911 calls
- Funding to support Milwaukee County Crisis Mobile and Trauma Response Teams to support a expand response to behavioral health crisis without law enforcement
- Funding to support a Behavioral Health Bed Tracker to provide “real-time” in-patient, peer respite, and crisis stabilization capacity and bed availability to reduce logistical challenges and improve the medical clearance process.
The budget includes a plan to reform crisis intervention and emergency detention practices as the current crisis response structure “is inefficient, time-consuming for law enforcement, and is not best serving those individuals experiencing a behavior health crisis,” a press release from Evers said.
“This plan will help vulnerable Wisconsinites experiencing a crisis receive care quickly and safely by strategically investing in initiatives that will boost front-end preventative services, the funding of regional crisis centers, and alternatives to emergency detention like rapid response mental health teams.”
Evers also plans to spend $25 million over the biennium to expand BadgerCare to cover room and board costs for Wisconsinites receiving treatment in residential substance use disorder treatment facilities.
Proposed alterations to Medicaid include reimbursement for acupuncture services to offer residents alternative methods for managing chronic pain. More counseling, medication, and behavior therapies associated with holistic substance abuse treatment will also be covered.
“Mental and behavioral healthcare is healthcare. Period. From our kids to our farmers, to veterans and those working to overcome substance use disorders, mental health support must be a priority for the health, safety, and well-being of our state,” Evers said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has only further exacerbated the need for and underscored the urgency of making sure we have affordable, accessible services available to folks when they need it most, and that’s why it’s a top priority in our budget.”
