Milwaukee County Mental Health Board welcomes former administrator of Behavioral Health Division and licensed clinical psychologist to its board
Kathleen Eilers, RN MSN and Dr. Sheri Johnson to guide expansion of community-based resources
Kathleen Eilers. Photo from Milwaukee County.
MILWAUKEE – (June 26, 2018) Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele announced Kathleen Eilers, RN MSN and Dr. Sheri Johnson as the newest members of the Milwaukee County Mental Health Board (MCMHB). Both bring unique perspectives to the board with Eilers formerly filling the role of Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division (BHD) administrator and Johnson with 25 years of experience in providing direct service to urban children and families.
“As the Behavioral Health Division works to become a national best practice leader in behavioral health care, BHD is putting an emphasis on prevention and recovery programs that are community-based and accessible in more ways than ever to help provide these valuable resources to those in need,” said Abele. “Kathleen and Sheri bring exceptional backgrounds and experiences that will help the board guide this work.”
The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors submitted Eilers’ and Johnson’s names to Abele for appointment to the MCMHB in April. Both individuals will help support the Mental Health Board’s efforts to expand access to more high-quality community-based resources and programs as BHD transitions its acute inpatient hospital to a new provider and participates in a county-wide redesign of crisis services.
Sheri Johnson. Photo from Milwaukee County.
“We are honored to have Kathleen Eilers and Sheri Johnson as a members of our board,” says Tom Lutzow, Chair of the Milwaukee County Mental Health Board. “Their knowledge and expertise from working in mental health, combined with their community involvement demonstrate their commitment to the important work we have underway.”
In addition to her 20 years of service to BHD, Eilers also served as a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist at Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital. She currently is an active leader in the community, serving on the boards of the Grand Avenue Club and Whole Health Clinical Group. In addition, Eilers is a member of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee College of Health Sciences Advisory Board and past president of Rotary Club of Milwaukee.
Johnson currently serves as the director of the University of Wisconsin – Madison Population Health Institute and Visiting Associate Professor for the Department of Population Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin – Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. Johnson advances prevention and mental health promotion initiatives with community partners through her membership on the board of SaintA Milwaukee and as a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters.
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Katy Glodosky at (920) 627-2619 or katy.glodosky@Milwaukeecountywi.gov.
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 12 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 through connections that support recovery. BHD ensures 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 through 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. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
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Don’t you realize that Eilers was on the board previously and left with no explanation. She also is responsible for completely gutting and destroying our only real decent mental health hospital in the City, the Behavioral Health Complex. She is responsible for many many deaths of persons with serious mental illness by denying them treatment. SHAME on her and SHAME on Abele for bringing this woman in to do only more damage.