Valued Voice

The Milwaukee Mental Health Emergency Center opened for patients on Sept. 6, offering 24/7 mental health assessment, stabilization, treatment, and transition care management for children, adolescents and adults, including both voluntary and involuntary patients. 
 
The Mental Health Emergency Center was developed and designed to serve a unique role as a dedicated psychiatric emergency department to assess and triage individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. 

The new psychiatric emergency hospital is a joint venture between Milwaukee County and Advocate Aurora Health, Ascension Wisconsin, Children’s Wisconsin and Froedtert Health. Advocate Aurora Health will be responsible for the employment of the psychiatrists and staff, as well as the day-to-day operations under the direction of the joint venture’s board of directors. 
 
The facility replaces the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division’s Psychiatric Crisis Services center in Wauwatosa, which served as the only dedicated psychiatric emergency department in Wisconsin.

The new center will employ about 70 full-time equivalent staff and will serve as a training center for psychiatric medical residents. Construction and start-up costs for the new center were approximately $18 million. 
 
WHA held a special livestream tour of the new facility for the WHA Behavioral Health Forum prior to its opening. If you are interested in learning more details about the facility, contact WHA General Counsel Matthew Stanford. Additional information about the new psychiatric emergency hospital can be found here.