NAMI Wisconsin, the state organization of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is a grassroots organization of individuals and families affected by mental illness. We seek to improve the quality of life of people affected by mental illness, and to promote recovery. Based on needs expressed by our members, NAMI Wisconsin recommends the following changes to build on current opportunities and support resiliency and recovery for the people of Wisconsin.

Improve access to the Community Support Program (CSP), an evidence based program offered by counties to provide wraparound, community-based services for people with serious mental illness. The state should take responsibility for the nonfederal portion of Medicaid, rather than requiring county funding.  This would enable all counties to offer the program to people who need it. Financial incentives should encourage fidelity to the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model

Crisis Services: Fund the 988 Wisconsin Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the state budget. Wisconsin’s 988 Lifeline launched in 2022 with federal COVID relief funds that expire in 2025.  We need ongoing state funding for this life-saving service. We also need the state and counties to continue strengthening mobile crisis response, crisis stabilization facilities, and regional crisis urgent care and observation centers.

Expand School-Based Mental Health Services. Early identification and intervention help kids with mental health challenges thrive, reducing the need for intensive long-term services. The state should increase per pupil state funding for mental health services in every school in Wisconsin.

Rebuild the Mental Health Workforce. Increase Medicaid rates to cover the cost of care, expand eligibility for student loan forgiveness, expedite professional licensing, continue the expanded Qualified Treatment Trainee (QTT) program, offer paid internships for high school and technical college students entering mental health fields.

Decriminalize Mental Illness. Expand the Treatment Alternatives and Diversion (TAD), state grants to counties for initiatives to serve at-risk persons with mental illness. Establishment of mental health or treatment courts should be based on a detailed process such as the Sequential Intercept Model, to examine population needs and community resources.

Improve the Emergency Detention Process: Standardize medical clearance and reduce emergency room wait time for psychiatric hospitalization. Reduce the role of law enforcement by adding ‘initiators,’ clinical specialists trained and authorized to place an emergency hold.

Develop Supportive Housing. Stable, affordable housing is fundamental to mental health recovery. The state should fund regional housing coordinators to help municipalities and developers expand available housing linked with supportive housing services for people with serious mental illness.

Improve Access to Psychiatric Medication. Ensure that Medicaid enrollees can get treatments that work for them by removing prior authorization and step therapy protocols for medications to treat serious mental illness.

Increase access to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) an evidence-based approach that included mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral therapy for people with complex mental health needs. Increase access to training, enhance Medicaid provider rates, and cover the DBT service array.

Improve Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) training, placement and support. Increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for Certified Peer Specialists, improve training quality and availability and expand CPS opportunities for peer supervision and ongoing professional development.

Improve the Psychiatric Advance Directive (PAD) process. A PAD is a legal tool that allows a person with mental illness to state their preferences for treatment and supports should they go into a crisis. Wisconsin requires that a ‘health care agent’ be named for mental health care and limits what the agent can approve for the person in crisis.

Expand Medicaid eligibility to 138% of the Federal Policy Level (FPL), making an additional 90,000 people eligible for Medicaid coverage. Wisconsin already spends state dollars to cover childless adults up to 100% FPL. Finish the job and draw down $1.6 billion federal Medicaid match over the next two years.