Wisconsin Crisis Helpline Shutting Down, Due to Federal Funding Cuts
'Uplift Wisconsin' helps those with mental health, substance abuse problems.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. speaking with supporters at a campaign rally at Legends Event Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo by Gage Skidmore. (CC BY-SA 2.0)
A helpline Wisconsinites can call for support with their mental health or substance use will shut down Saturday, April 5. It’s one of many services affected by recent federal cuts to over $210 million in health funds across the state, officials said.
The funds are part of about $12 billion in grants allocated during the COVID-19 pandemic to state health departments that were all recently canceled by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is over, and HHS will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago,” the department said in a statement.
In a statement Friday, Gov. Tony Evers said the federal cuts would amount to over $210 million in funds for the state. He said that will hurt the 988 crisis line, addiction services, immunization tracking and public health labs and programs.
The “Uplift Wisconsin” warmline is one of them. The warmline, named because it supports people before they are in crisis, is a phone line answered by people who have gone through mental health or substance use challenges. It is run by the state affiliate of the nonprofit Mental Health America.
“The program was designed to decrease usage of costly acute services,” said Martina Gollin-Graves, president and CEO of Mental Health America of Wisconsin. “Less hospitalizations, less emergency room visits and ultimately decrease suicides in Wisconsin.”
They were told March 27 that the remainder of their contract was terminated, she said.
“We are now having to furlough 20 staff and dissolve the service,” Gollin-Graves said.
The warmline was funded about three years ago by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, she said. But people are still using it.
“In March alone, we had almost 4,000 calls,” Gollin-Graves said. “People are still experiencing extreme mental health and substance use issues.”
The warmline had over 24,000 calls in 2024, she said. It’s staffed seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The program received $600,000 annually for three years, set to expire Sept. 30, Gollin-Graves said. Then, its last six months of funding was abruptly cancelled in the latest wave of federal funding cuts.
“This is a resource that is going to be sorely missed,” Gollin-Graves said. “I’m worried about the fallout and how people are going to get their needs met, now that they can’t use the warmline.”
Continued funding for the program, following its September expiration, was earmarked in Evers’ recent budget proposal, she said.
“If all goes well and the governor’s budget passed as is, there’s $1.2 million earmarked for this program over the next two years,” Gollin-Graves said. “We would be able to resume.”
Other health programs, run by state and local health departments, are contending with the recent HHS cuts, as well.
Public Health Madison & Dane County lost a $1.8 million immunization grant.
“Without this funding, our efforts to improve the health of our community will be impacted, but our work will continue,” said spokesperson Morgan Finke.
At the Rock County Public Health Department, recent HHS cuts resulted in two grants being cancelled. The money was used to promote mental wellbeing and improve elementary school attendance and vaccination rates in the county. The department is hoping to find other ways to continue the programs the grants were funding, health officer Katrina Harwood said.
Meanwhile, Evers said he would look for ways to contest the cuts.
“I will be exploring every legal option available to us to fight against these disastrous cuts to our state,” Evers said in his Friday statement.
Wisconsin helpline will shut down, citing federal health grant cuts was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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When you have someone as clueless and unqualified as Kennedy Jr. overseeing things, we will see more lives lost and more crises throughout our state as our hands are tied. Is this part of Trump’s plan to’ cull the herd?’