Milwaukee County Mental Health Board welcomes community leader and veterans advocate as newest member

Milwaukee, WI (December 28, 2017) – Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele today announced Bob Curry as the newest member of the Milwaukee County Mental Health Board (MCMHB). Curry is the president and founder of DryHootch, a veterans peer-to-peer counseling center for those impacted by war trauma with locations across the midwest. The organization aims to serve veterans as they integrate and interact with the community and also operates a retail coffee shop for veterans and their families.

“We are honored to have Mr. Curry as a member of our board,” says Duncan Shrout, Chair of the MCMHB. “He brings significant experience in working with individuals dealing with trauma, leveraging his own personal experiences to assist others in their recovery journey. We look forward to working with Mr. Curry to continue the very important work we have underway.”

The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors submitted Curry’s name to Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele for appointment to the MCMHB. He fills the consumer position on the board, representing an individual with lived experience.

“The consumer position is a key role on our Mental Health Board,” said Abele. “As the Behavioral Health Division works to become a national best practice leader in behavioral health care, BHD is putting an emphasis on recovery programs, leading the nation in engaging peer specialists in more ways than ever to help provide valuable recovery support to those in need. Bob Curry brings an exceptional background and experience to help the board guide this work.”

Curry has been received numerous awards for his work, including being recognized by the White House as a Champion of Change in 2013 for his continued support for efforts to end veterans’ homelessness, boost veterans’ employment and treat substance abuse and PTSD. Curry is also a published author, writing “Whispering Death, Our Journey with the Hmong in Our Secret War in Laos,” from his experiences in the US Army during the Vietnam War. Prior to these accomplishments, Curry spent twenty years in the technology field, working for companies like IBM, Lotus, AT&T and as a speaker for web technologies, internationally.

The work of trauma informed care, peer support, and new technologies we have learned in partnership with Medical College, the VA, and partner agencies can be leveraged to improve the lives of thousands of individuals and families dealing with mental health issues in Milwaukee County,” said Curry. “I look forward to contributing to this important work.”

About the Milwaukee County Mental Health Board

The Milwaukee County Mental Health Board (MHB) was established in 2014 through Wisconsin Act 203. The board is made up of 13 members and includes mental health professionals, consumers and advocates. The MHB is responsible for setting policy for the Behavioral Health Division.

About the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division

The Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division (BHD) is the community’s connection point to vital, high-quality behavioral health care. BHD empowers safe, healthy and meaningful lives by ensuring that everyone gets connected to great behavioral health care, no matter their severity of need or ability to pay. Through BHD, Milwaukee County residents have access to the largest network of behavioral health providers in the state. BHD provides care and treatment to adults, adolescents and children with mental illness, substance abuse disorders and co-occurring illnesses and offers services across the following four key areas: crisis services, community-based services, hospital services, and child and adolescent services. For more information, visit county.milwaukee.gov/BHD.

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.