Being handcuffed, loaded into a police car, and driven for hours to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute is painful for anyone, but it’s one of the few options available to Wisconsinites facing serious mental health crises.
That’s because the current emergency detention process takes patients there or to the emergency room, where they are tested and admitted. But going to the emergency room for a severe mental health crisis does not guarantee that patients will receive local care.
Even when emergency rooms don’t have room for overnight admissions, law enforcement can send patients to another private facility or to a Winnebago, said H.J. Waukaw, legislative director for the Wisconsin Department of Public Health, who wrote testimony for informational purposes only. There is a possibility that it may be transferred to Last fall, he presented it to the Senate Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, and Children and Families.
The new bill would establish additional regional crisis emergency care and observation centers, replicating those available at Winnebago, so patients can be treated closer to home.
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The bill would also exempt law enforcement officers tasked with handcuffing patients and taking them to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute.
The bill’s sponsors, state Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) and Rep. Clint Moses (R-Menominee), both said the police officers responsible for these trips would end up having to travel to and from Oshkosh. He said it can take hours or even an entire day of driving and is expensive. It also removes officials from the communities they serve.
“Law enforcement officers said it was a 10-hour process to safely transport individuals to WMHI, requiring hospital clearance before removal and often involving handcuffs in the back of a patrol car. We share,” Moses told the Senate Mental Health Committee last fall. , Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families.
Here’s what you need to know about this bill and other bills related to mental health in Wisconsin that are being considered on the House and Senate floor this Congress.
Why do so many patients end up at Winnebago Mental Health Institute even though they don’t live near Oshkosh?
“Because there’s basically nowhere else to send them,” Marklein said. “If you’re in a mental health crisis, there’s nothing you can do about that person and you don’t know where law enforcement is going to take them.”
The Winnebago Mental Health Institute is considered a safety net provider by DHS and provides a significant level of medical care and other necessary services to the uninsured, those on Medicaid, and other vulnerable patients. It offers.
Patients experiencing a severe mental health crisis may have limited access to psychiatrists and behavioral health providers in the emergency room. People in crisis may have to sit in waiting rooms for hours before being seen, potentially making their condition worse.
If the hospital determines that the patient’s condition warrants hospitalization, the hospital must find a bed for the patient, transfer him elsewhere or be sent to a Winnebago by law enforcement.
People with mental health crises are also taken to jail and arrested. The only recourse after that is to move them to a Winnebago.
“Deportation by law enforcement exacerbates a mental health crisis by being handcuffed and placed in the back of a police vehicle for a long and arduous journey,” Waukau wrote in a letter to the Senate committee. There is a possibility that it will.” “This process is harmful and dangerous to both individuals in crisis and law enforcement personnel, and does not comply with crisis intervention best practices.”
Why would the police get involved when someone is in a serious mental health crisis?
Involuntary detention occurs when a mentally ill, drug-dependent, or developmentally disabled person meets one of the statutory criteria for being a danger to themselves or others. If a person is suitable for treatment but refuses treatment, law enforcement and crisis response personnel may determine that it is necessary to initiate involuntary detention proceedings.
Under Chapter 51 emergency detention, law enforcement must accompany involuntary detainees the entire way from the hospital emergency department to the Winnebago.
Does the Winnebago Institute of Mental Health have the capacity to deal with Wisconsin’s crisis?
The Winnebago Mental Health Institute has highly trained staff and extensive resources, but a surge in mental health crises has challenged its capacity.
Since 2019, the facility has seen a 10.5% increase in emergency detention cases compared to the previous year. To put it another way, the number of emergency detentions in 2022 was more than 30% higher than in 2019, according to DHS data.
Its inpatient admissions routinely exceed the capacity of its staffed beds. As a result, facilities are having to devise new strategies to increase compensation rates for essential staff, hire contract staff, and limit overtime, and some staff are being forced to do so.
“While WMHI is able to meet the current needs of Wisconsin’s patients, hospitals, counties and law enforcement, the current situation is not sustainable in the long term and requires innovative solutions.” Waukau said in a letter to the Senate committee.
Who goes to Winnebago Mental Health Institute?
Although the majority of Winnebago Mental Health Institute’s emergency detentions come from northeastern Wisconsin, large numbers of residents from outside the northeast are sent to Winnebago each year.
Shows the number of patients admitted to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute as a result of emergency detention in 2022, by state of Wisconsin.
- Northeast: 940
- North: 236
- Southeast: 808
- South: 744
- Western: 361
Where are the other facilities located?
The facilities will be distributed across five DHS regions: North, Northeast, Southeast, South, and West.
At this time, it is not clear in which cities they will be located.
When will we hear more about this bill?
During the Feb. 20 floor session, lawmakers passed amendments to the bill. Marklein said the bill will be introduced in the full Senate in March.
Marklein said the bill has “incredible bipartisan” support, including 50 co-sponsors.
Other mental health bills to be considered this session
House and Senate floor sessions began on February 20 and will continue for the next few weeks. Other mental health bills currently being considered in the Wisconsin Legislature include:
- Congressional leaders passed a bill Wednesday morning that would exempt xylazine test strips from being considered drug paraphernalia, similar to how Wisconsin recently legalized fentanyl test strips. Xylazine, known by its street name “trunk,” is a powerful sedative used in large animals such as cattle and horses, and in humans it prolongs the euphoria associated with fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Drugs like Narcan cannot reverse the effects of an overdose. And if that wasn’t enough, one telltale sign that you’ve been sedated is decay, or necrosis, of the flesh around the injection site, which increases the likelihood of amputation.
- Congressional leaders passed legislation Tuesday to create a rural pharmacy practice grant program to encourage recent pharmacy graduates to practice in rural and underserved areas. Became. Administered by the Higher Education Assistance Commission, it provides financial aid of up to $30,000 per year for up to three years to 10 eligible pharmacists who relocate to rural areas each year. This would give rural residents better access to physician-trained medication management experts. Opioid addiction especially plagues rural areas, so having more pharmacists means they can administer injectable drugs used for opioid use disorder.
- Congressional leaders passed a bill Tuesday that would move unhoused people camping illegally on the streets to structured, authorized public land areas far from dense commercial and residential areas. did. Many agencies that work with unhoused populations believe that this bill would create additional barriers to care, further criminalize an already subjugated and disenfranchised population, and, most importantly, prevent someone from getting a job. They opposed the bill, saying it would exacerbate challenges in finding and treating mental health and substance use disorders. permanent home. Temporary stays at camp facilities would also be required to complete mental health and substance use assessments, which are also at issue in the bill. More than 20% of people experiencing homelessness have a serious mental illness, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2023 Homelessness Report.
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Natalie Eilbert covers mental health issues for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. Contact her at neilbert@gannett.com or visit her Twitter profile at: @natalie_eilbert. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text “Hopeline” to the National Crisis Textline at 741-741.
