Willa Tsao

Please join us for the December Mental Health Task Force meeting, Tuesday, December 14th from 3 – 5 PM via Zoom.

Agenda

View the December 14th meeting agenda here (pdf).

View the December 14th meeting recording here (Youtube).

Learn more about our speakers here (pdf).

1. Welcome and Task Force Updates (3:00 – 3:05pm)
2. Sheriff Earnell R. Lucas, Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office. (3:05 – 3:35pm)
   • We have asked the Sheriff to discuss efforts to address the mental health needs, and other health care needs of jail residents, training for staff on how responding to individuals with a mental illness or other disability, CART team – current status and future plans, and opportunities to work together to support voter registration and voting rights at the jail.
3. Mental Health Campaign, Escucha tus Emociones – Cuida to Vida, Ana Paula Soares, MS, LPC, Bilingual Licensed Professional Counselor, Clinical Director of the Mental Health Campaign Escucha tus Emociones – Cuida to Vida (3:35 – 3:50pm)
   • Ms. Soares will discuss a statewide mental health campaign within the Spanish-speaking community to support our Latinxs communities who are still facing mental and emotional health crises that have been exacerbated by the COVID pandemic.
   • Presentation: Escucha Tus Emociones Cuida Tu Vida / Bilingual Mental Health Campaign (pdf)
   • Follow-Up Letter from Ana Soares (pdf)
   • Escuchas tus Emociones – Campaign Team Contact Info (image)
   • Escuchas tus Emociones – Flyer 1 (image)
   • Escuchas tus Emociones – Flyer 2 (image)
4. The traumatic impacts of the pandemic, Tim Grove, Senior Consultant at SaintA’s (3:50 – 4:30pm)
   • Presentation: Stress, Trauma, and Mental Health in “Pandemic Times” (pdf).
5. Planning for 2022, Discussion of programmatic topic for 2022 and opportunity for input (4:30 – 4:45pm)
6. MH Board and Other Policy Updates (4:45 – 5:00pm)
   • Mary Neubauer, MHTF representative on Mental Health Board, and Barbara Beckert, Disability Rights WI
   • Poll on Infographics from MH Board Community Engagement Committee

Save the Date

January 11th, 2022 Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force meeting

• We will kick off the year with a focus on Housing resources and advocacy.
• Speakers will include:
  • Milwaukee County Housing Division
    • Jim Mathy, Housing Administrator
    • Eric Collins-Dyke, Assistant Administrator of Supportive Housing​ and Homeless Services
  • Coordinated Entry for Homeless Services – IMPACT Inc.
    • John Hyatt, President & CEO
    • Emily Kenney, Director of Systems Change

February 8th, 2022: Forum on Mental Health and Criminal Justice System Reform

January 27th, 2022: Mental Health Board Meeting 

• January 27th Mental Health Board Meeting at 4:30pm; includes Public Comment
• Learn more about the Milwaukee County Mental Health Board here.

Meeting Registration

Our meetings are open to all. To request a link, complete the form below:

Please join us for the November Mental Health Task Force November meeting, Tuesday, November 9th from 3 – 5 PM via Zoom.

Agenda

View the meeting agenda here (pdf). Our agenda will include the following:

1. Special Veteran’s Day Program
   • R&R House, Veterans Peer-Run Respite and Warmline, Peter Borucki, CPS, House Manager – Mental Health America of Wisconsin
     • View the R&R House Presentation here (pdf).
   • AHW-Funded Project: “Remembering the Lost: Using Veteran Suicide Investigations to Improve Prevention Resources”, Sara Kohlbeck, MPH, Director, Division of Suicide Prevention, Comprehensive Injury Center, PhD Candidate, Institute for Health and Equity, Medical College of Wisconsin; Brian Michel, JD, Director of Prevention Services, Mental Health America of Wisconsin
     • View the Remembering the Lost presentation here (pdf).
2. Behavioral Health Division Update including Mental Health Emergency Center, Mike Lappen, Administrator
3. Mental Health Emergency Center Update, Jessica Small, VP WI Operations, Advocate Aurora Behavioral Health Services
   • View the Mental Health Emergency Center Update presentation here (pdf).
4. MH Board and Other Policy Updates, Mary Neubauer and Barbara Beckert
   • Poll on Infographics from MH Board Community Engagement Committee

Meeting Registration

Our meetings are open to all. To request a link, complete the form below:

Mental Health Task Force Steering Committee Member, Susan Gadacz, spoke at the September 23rd Mental Health Board Public hearing to share our testimony with recommendations to support people experiencing challenges with substance use disorders.  While there are many things working well to address SUD in Milwaukee, including peer-run respite, recovery support services, and the Narcan Direct program, the ever-increasing number of overdose deaths signals that we must do much more.

Read the full testimony here (pdf).

Join us for the Mental Health Task Force October meeting, on Tuesday, October 12th from 3 – 5 PM.

Agenda

View the meeting agenda here (pdf).

View the meeting recording here (Youtube; captions available).

Our agenda will include:

1. Welcome and Task Force Updates, Mary Neubauer and Christine Apple
   • View the MHTF 2021-2022 Supporting Members List here (pdf).
   • View the 2021-2022 Membership Drive Materials and Online Payment Option here.
2. Granite Hills Hospital Update, Jennifer Bergersen, CEO
   • View the Granite Hill Hospital website here (external link).
3. Medicaid Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) update and changes, Nick Di Meo, Wisconsin DHS
   • View the NEMT presentation here (pdf).
   • View the ForwardHealth Update here (pdf).
4. Wisconsin Community Services (WCS) Hub & Spoke Program, Eric Diamond, Director of Innovation and Special Projects and Maya Robinson, Assistant Director of Hub & Spoke Health Home
   • View the Hub and Spoke Program presentation here (pdf).
   • View the Hub and Spoke Member Brochure here (pdf).
   • View the Partner with a Health Home brochure here (pdf).
   • View the Home Health ROI document here (pdf).
5. Debrief on our 2021 Karen Avery Forum, Celebrating Recovery, Ending Stigma, Embracing Possibilities and discussion of next steps.
   • Advocacy Opportunity: SB-600 Decriminalizing Fentanyl Test Strips (pdf).
   • View the full MHTF MH Board testimony here (pdf).
   • View Childs’ “Drug Checking with Fentanyl Test Strips” presentation here (pdf).
   • Studies
     • Fentanyl self-testing outside supervised injection settings to prevent opioid
       overdose: Do we know enough to promote it? (pdf).
     • Evaluation of a fentanyl drug checking service for clients of a supervised injection facility, Vancouver, Canada (Harm Reduction Journal).
     • Harm reduction measures employed by people using opioids with suspected fentanyl exposure in Boston, Baltimore, and Providence (Harm Reduction Journal).

Meeting Registration

To receive the meeting link, register below: