Behavioral health ranked among the top five health issues in both Marinette and Menominee counties. Our hospital serves as a link to connect community members to Aurora’s comprehensive behavioral health services team, which extends behavioral health care into hospital and primary care settings.

As behavioral health professional shortages remain a long-time national, state, and local issue, efforts to recruit, train and retain providers are necessary to increase the numbers of providers available to community members. 

Aurora Medical Center-Bay Area has always operated like a community-based hospital, offering programs and services in response to identified community health needs. To address behavioral health concerns in 2021 hospital team members:
 

• Completed 500 behavioral health intake assessments and provided appropriate referrals were provided, 476 of which were to ADAPT. ADAPT is a publicly funded and operated outpatient clinic (mental health, substance abuse and crisis counseling services) operated by the Marinette County Human Services Department
• Participated on the New Hope Coalition. This five-county initiative supports approximately 160 organizations. The group plans to address substance abuse by focusing on four areas: prevention, recovery, treatment, sustainability and provider recruitment. This coalition is supported by a three-year federal grant
• Continued to provide medical staff leadership to raise awareness among our prescribers around new state and federal laws impacting prescription practices

Additionally, publicly accessible information was available online regarding our behavioral health services and that of other Advocate Aurora Health hospitals and providers.