From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Wisconsin’s Interagency Council on Mental Health today released a plan for how the state can better support mental health for residents, ranging from improving access to care to ensuring ongoing funding for key programs.
The report details various factors contributing to mental health challenges in the state, such as stigma keeping people from seeking help, federal funding changes jeopardizing services in the state, and the lack of integration between information systems at various state agencies.
While each state agency is responsible for operating its own systems, the council says having those “silos” in place leads to “inadvertent inefficiencies” and duplicated efforts.
“By eliminating additional red tape and paperwork, state agencies can help improve and expand access and ensure more Wisconsinites can access the care and services they need,” authors wrote.
To that end, the council is calling for an integrated state platform to help people navigate services spread across multiple agencies. The report also calls for an increased focus on getting ahead of mental health issues, by providing more trusted, accessible prevention resources for those who need them.
Meanwhile, the council suggests exploring coverage for peer specialists, community health workers and others within the state’s health plan, the state employee assistance program and other networks.
In hopes of improving access to care, the council urges partnering with telehealth providers and other organizations to offer more services in rural parts of the state, as well as for populations “needing culturally competent care.” Along with other suggestions, the report calls for pursuing interstate compacts so providers can work across state borders.
Department of Health Services Secretary Kirsten Johnson, who chairs the council, says the report was crafted after regional listening sessions and an online survey garnered responses from thousands of state residents.
“We identified common themes for what Wisconsin needs to help people build a strong mental health foundation, and how state agencies can support a more coordinated response,” she said today in an online news conference.
See the full report and see more in a DHS release below.
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