Milwaukee County Celebrates the Grand Opening of the New Behavioral Health ‘Access Clinic North’ Located within Milwaukee Health Services, Inc.

MILWAUKEE, WI – Milwaukee County DHHS Behavioral Health Services (BHS) in partnership with Milwaukee Health Services, Inc. (MHSI), is opening Access Clinic North, 8200 W. Silver Spring Drive, a new location providing crisis mental health and substance use disorder services to the community surrounding the Isaac Coggs Heritage Health Center.

This partnership brings greater access to crisis behavioral health resources and services, meeting residents where they are. This is the third Milwaukee County Access Clinic to open in the past two years. Opening Access Clinics in neighborhoods across the county is part of the overall redesign of the behavioral healthcare system, more than ten years in the making, shifting from an institutional model of care to community-based settings.

“Creating greater awareness of and expanding access to mental health and substance use disorder resources is a top priority for my administration,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “Since the closure of the Mental Health Complex last year, we have expanded behavioral health services across the county, and continue to transition to a community-based model of care. We want residents to know, you can access mental health resources right here in your neighborhood.”

The partnership with Milwaukee Health Services, Inc., and their more than 30-year history of being a trusted neighborhood healthcare provider, creates great opportunity to connect with residents who may not know how to access crisis mental health and substance use disorder services.

“The collaboration with Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Services to provide mental health crisis services at our Isaac Coggs location is in line with MHSI’s mission of removing barriers and improving health outcomes,” said Michele LeBourgeois, Chief Operations Officer. “This collaboration will serve the health, economically and educationally disenfranchised population in the City of Milwaukee. The purpose is to promote quality of life and reduce disparities among racial and ethnic communities in the City of Milwaukee.”

Services offered at BHS Access Clinic North and all of the Access Clinics, include crisis mental health and substance use assessment; therapeutic check-ins, peer support services, medication bridge evaluation; and linkages to long-term behavioral health community resources.

“Our goal remains to connect the community to compassionate quality behavioral healthcare that helps those we serve continue their path toward healing,” said Dr. Ken Cole, Director of Outpatient Treatment, Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Services. “With clinics across Milwaukee County, our goal is to reach more residents, address root causes, and create greater awareness around how to best to access the services our clinical teams have to offer.”

The Access Clinics support uninsured or underinsured Milwaukee County residents over the age of 18 who are facing a mental health or co-occurring crisis by connecting them to culturally competent behavioral health care, within their own community and regardless of their ability to pay. The Access Clinics currently have three locations across the county to support community members in need:

• Access Clinic East: 210 W. Capitol Dr., Milwaukee, WI 53212
• Access Clinic North: 8200 W. Silver Spring Dr., Milwaukee, WI 53218
• Access Clinic South: 1635 W. National Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53204

National Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder “PTSD” Awareness Month is observed in June. PTSD occurs in people after someone experiences a particularly traumatic event like war, violent physical/sexual/verbal assault, accidents, and other incidents. PTSD is treatable, but often people suffer unnecessarily because of stigma attached to seeking mental health support.

About Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Services
Behavioral Health Services provides care and treatment to adults, children, and adolescents with mental illness, substance use disorders, and intellectual disabilities through both County-operated programs and contracts with community agencies. Services include intensive short-term treatment through crisis services and inpatient services, and a full array of supportive community services for persons with serious mental illness and substance use disorders.

About Milwaukee Health Services, Inc. The mission of Milwaukee Health Services Inc. is to provide accessible, quality primary and related health care services to Milwaukee residents, with the continuing emphasis on medically underserved families and individuals.  MHSI provides quality healthcare services through two sites: Martin Luther King, Jr. Heritage Health Center at 2555 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive and Isaac Coggs Heritage Health Center at 8200 W. Silver Spring Drive.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.