Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force

The Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force is the voice of the community on issues related to the quality and responsiveness of mental health and substance abuse disorder services.

Willa Tsao

April 11, 2023 Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force meeting

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Join us for the April Mental Health Task Force meeting on Tuesday, April 11, from 3 – 5 PM via Zoom.

Our speakers will address:

  • DHHS Opioid Settlement: Projects funded and how they align with recommendations
  • Alcohol Awareness Month and what you can do
  • Preparing for the Unwinding of the Public Health Emergency and Why It Matters

Meeting Agenda

View the April 11, 2023 Meeting Agenda (PDF).

View the April 11, 2023 meeting recording via Youtube.

  1. Welcome, Mary Neubauer and Christine Apple, co-chairs (3 – 3:05)
  2. DHHS Opioid Settlement Update (3:05 – 3: 50)
    Our speakers will brief us on the projects being funded by the Opioid Settlement dollars and how those align with recommendations in a Wisconsin Policy Forum Report.

    • Speakers
      • Steve Gorodetskiy, Strategic Initiatives Director, Milwaukee Co. Dept of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
      • Jen Wittwer, Director, Community Access to Recovery Services, Behavioral Health Services (BHS)
      • Mike Lappen, Administrator, Behavioral Health Services (BHS)
    • Opioid Settlement Projects Presentation (PDF)
    • Resources on this topic:
  3. Alcohol Awareness Month and what you can do!, Maureen Busalacchi, Director of the Wisconsin Alcohol Policy Project at the Comprehensive Injury Center at Medical College of Wisconsin (3:50 – 4:20)
  4. Preparing for the Unwinding of the Public Health Emergency and Why It Matters, Cheryl Isabell, Milwaukee Community Engagement Lead, Covering Wisconsin (4:20 – 4:55)
  5. Closing Remarks (4:55 – 5 PM)

Meeting Registration

Our meetings are open to all. ASL interpreters will be available at the meeting. To request other disability accommodations, please email barbara.beckert@drwi.org as soon as possible. We will do our best to respond to all requests.

    February 14, 2023 Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force Meeting

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    Join us for the February Mental Health Task Force meeting on Tuesday, February 14th, from 3 – 5 PM via Zoom.

    Our agenda include an update on Harm Reduction and Prevention from Jeremy Triblett, Prevention Services Coordinator, Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Services.

    We will learn about Supporting and Empowering Milwaukee Youth from:

    Montrèal Cain of MERA WI will speak about “Black Pioneers” in recognition of Black History Month.

    Meeting materials will be posted on this page as they become available. Complete the form below to request the Zoom link.

    Meeting Agenda

    View the February 14, 2023 Meeting Agenda (PDF).

    View the February 14, 2023 meeting recording via Youtube.

    1. Welcome, Mary Neubauer & Christine Apple, co-chairs (3 – 3:05)
    2. Harm Reduction and Prevention Vending Machines, Jeremy Triblett, Prevention Services Coordinator, Milwaukee County (3:05 – 3:40)
      According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), harm reduction is critical to keeping people who use drugs alive and as healthy as possible. Behavioral Health Services of Milwaukee County Department of Health & Human Services has partnered with Vivent Health’s Lifepoint program and HRI Vending to increase Milwaukee County residents’ access to harm reduction and prevention supplies via vending machines located in agencies across Milwaukee County.

    3. Supporting and Empowering Milwaukee Youth (3:40 – 4:30)
    4. Black Pioneers, Montrèal Cain, MERA WI (4:30 – 5)

    Remember to vote on February 21st!

    Election Resources

    Disability Rights Wisconsin Voter Hotline: 844-347-8683 or email info@disabilityvote.org

    Meeting Registration

    Our meetings are open to all. ASL interpreters will be available at the meeting. To request other disability accommodations, please email barbara.beckert@drwi.org as soon as possible. We will do our best to respond to all requests.

      January 10th, 2023 Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force meeting

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      Please join us for the January Mental Health Task Force meeting on Tuesday, January 10th, from 3 – 5 PM via Zoom.

      • As a follow up to our November Karen Avery forum, this meeting will feature the second in a series of discussions on supporting parents and children in the child welfare system for success. Our speakers will share other models that include a strength-based approach to support parents and families and address mental health needs.
      • We will share proposed programmatic topics and speakers for 2023 and invite your input and suggestions.
      • Policy Updates: As the new legislative sessions begins this month, we will share an update on the state legislature and key committees, the state budget process, and possible Mental Health Task Force biennial budget priorities. Mental Health Task Force Co-Chair Mary Neubauer will share updates on the Mental Health Board and opportunities for public input.

      Meeting materials will be posted on this page as they become available. Complete the form below to request the Zoom link.

      Meeting Agenda

      View the January 10th, 2023 MHTF Meeting Agenda here (PDF).

      View the January 10th, 2023 MHTF Meeting recording via Youtube here.

      View the January 2023 Speaker Bios here (PDF).

      1. Welcome – Mary Neubauer & Christine Apple, co-chairs (3 – 3:05)
      2. Community Support for Families’ Mental Health and Basic Needs: Part 2 of Healthy Families Series (3:05 – 4:10)
        As a follow up to our November Karen Avery forum, this is the second in a series of discussions on supporting parents and children in the welfare system for success. Our speakers will share other models that include a strength-based approach to support parents and families and address mental health needs. Facilitated by Attorney Pete Koneazny, MHTF Steering Committee.

      3. Mental Health Task Force Programmatic Topics for 2023, Share Your Input (4:10 – 4:30)
      4. Policy Updates: State Legislature and State Budget, Barbara Beckert, Disability Rights Wisconsin (4:30 – 4:45)
      5. Mental Health Board updates, Mary Neubauer, MHTF Co-chair and Representative on the Mental Health Board (4:45 – 5)
        • Mental Health Board Updates
        • Mental Health Board meeting on January 26th 4:30 Washington Park Senior Center will include opportunity for public comments.

      Meeting Registration

      Our meetings are open to all. ASL interpreters will be available at the meeting. To request other disability accommodations, please email barbara.beckert@drwi.org as soon as possible. We will do our best to respond to all requests.

        December 13 Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force Meeting

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        Please join us for the December Mental Health Task Force meeting on Tuesday, December 13th, from 3 – 5 PM via Zoom.

        The meeting will feature leaders from the Mental Health Emergency Center and Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Services providing updates and addressing questions we have identified.

        We are also pleased to welcome Matt Lemke who will share his experience as a veteran with peer support, and Dr. Lia Knox, Mental Wellness Expert, Founder & CEO of Knox Behavioral Health Solutions (KBHS) and Co-Founder of the non-profit Black Space Inc who will address mental health wellness during the holiday season.

        To request the Zoom link for this meeting, complete the form below.

        December 13th Meeting Agenda

        View the December 13th Meeting Agenda document here (PDF).

        View the December 13th Meeting Recording via Youtube.

        1. Welcome and Opening Remarks, Mary Neubauer and Christine Apple, co-chairs (3 – 3:05)
        2. Mental Health Emergency Center Update, Kevin Kluesner, site administrator (3:05 – 3:35)
          Administrator Kluesner will provide updates and address questions submitted in advance. The Mental Health Emergency Center opened in September and serves children and adults experiencing a mental health crisis.

        3. Behavioral Health Services Update including Crisis Services and Inpatient Care, Michael Lappen, Behavioral Health Services Administrator (3:35 – 4)
        4. Veterans and Peer Support, Matt Lemke (4 – 4:25)
          Matt will share his experience as a Veteran with a Spinal Cord Injury and how he navigates peer support.

        5. Mental Wellness During the Holiday Season, Dr. Lia A. Knox, Mental Wellness Expert, Founder & CEO of Knox Behavioral Health Solutions (KBHS) and Co-Founder of the non-profit Black Space Inc (4:30 – 4:50)
        6. Brief Policy updates if time permits, Barbara Beckert and Mary Neubauer

        Meeting Registration

        Our meetings are open to all. ASL interpreters will be available at the December meeting. To request other disability accommodations, please email barbara.beckert@drwi.org as soon as possible. We will do our best to respond to all requests.

          Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force 2022 Karen Avery Forum

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          Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force 2022 Karen Avery Forum
          — Awards Presentation —

          In partnership with Milwaukee Turners Vel Phillips Forum

          Empowering Families: Peer and Community Mental Health Support for Child Welfare Involved Parents and Families.

          Listening to the voices of lived experience at the intersection of race, gender, mental health and child welfare.

          Tuesday November 15, 2022
          2:00 – 4:30 PM

          Register for the 2022 Karen Avery Forum here.

          Forum Information

          This year’s Karen Avery Forum is the first in a series of discussions on supporting parents and families for success in the Child Welfare system. In Wisconsin over 3000 children annually are removed from their parents’ homes for alleged child neglect or abuse, in a process that may include foster care placement and termination of parental rights. Involvement in this process may be traumatic for parents and their children. It is particularly challenging when issues of mental health and racial and economic inequities affect subjective judgments of risk, safety and parental fitness. Our speakers will share other models that include peer support and a strength-based approach to support parents and families.

          The Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force thanks the following:

          Opening Session: Lifting up the Voice of Lived Experience: Peer Support and Empowerment

          Rise is an organization that supports and works with impacted parents to shift conditions that harm families and build new collective care networks of peer support. Rise Magazine has been a leader nationally in supporting parents and families with peer support and with an emphasis on listening to the voices and the needs of parents with lived experience. Speakers from Rise will share their philosophy of peer support and empowerment.

          Panel Discussion: A Strength Based Approach: Involving the Court and Parents in Family Preservation

          More and more judges who preside over child welfare matters are engaging with justice involved individuals in a more collaborative, therapeutic and problem-solving way. It is often career defining for the judge and can be quite transformative for the individuals. It starts out as an understanding of human suffering and is always fueled by sheer perseverance and hope. Milwaukee’s Drug Treatment Specialty Court at Children’s Court has demonstrated the power of a holistic and collaborative approach, for parents whose addiction and mental health challenges may otherwise have led to permanent family separation. Meet a judge and two dynamic women who will tell their stories of that perseverance and hope.

          Community Resources

          Accommodation Requests

          The forum will be captioned and ASL interpreters will be available. To request other disability related accommodations, email barbara.beckert@drwi.org as soon as possible. We will do our best to be responsive to all requests received.

          Continuing Education

          • Certified Parent Peer Specialists and Certified Peer Specialists may receive 2.5 Continuing Education Hours for attending the entire training and submitting a completed evaluation.
          • All participants can request a Certificate of Participation for 2.5 hours by attending the entire training and submitting a completed evaluation.

          Thank You to Our Members

          The Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force annual membership drive is underway. Your membership will support our work as a positive force for systems change, cover a portion of staff costs to coordinate the task force, fund programmatic and communications expenses, and ensure our programs are open to all. We need your support to sustain our important work – please join or renew your membership.

          At the forum, we will recognize the Supporting Members of the Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force.

          Membership materials are posted on the 2022-2023 Membership Drive page.