Advancing Behavioral Health Initiative Coalitions List
Ten coalitions across Wisconsin were selected to participate in the ABHI. Collectively, they cover the majority of the population throughout the state. Since 2016, each coalition has embedded themselves in their community, led efforts to create awareness and developed strategies that improve the mental and behavioral health issues facing their region.
Better Together – La Crosse County
With teens in La Crosse County reportedly at greater risk for depression, Better Together set out to address youth mental health using shared resources, promotion of programs, and a synchronized message campaign in the community. The coalition offered training and guidance to youth-serving agencies and the wider community in three areas: Mental Health First Aid, social emotional learning, and resilience building.
Learn how to address youth mental health issues
Chequamegon Accountable: the Community for Health (CA:tCH) - Ashland & Bayfield Counties
In the sparsely populated area of Ashland and Bayfield counties, the CA:tCH coalition addressed three primary needs facing the community: coordination of care, access to services for underserved populations, and improved responses to behavioral health crises. Using a process centering individuals who may be at risk for a mental health crisis, they have created a platform to create shareable safety plans within that individual’s support team and with first responders.
Learn how to help those at risk of mental health crises
Milwaukee Coalition for Children’s Mental Health (CCMH)
Working with a population of children five and under, the Milwaukee coalition took a relationship-based approach to bring voices of those most impacted by racially disparate outcomes. The coalition connected families to resources and each other, built awareness of issues impacting child and family mental health, and developed innovative solutions to disparities in developmental outcomes.
Learn how to connect families to mental health resources
Connections for Mental Wellness – Brown County
Connections for Mental Wellness took a holistic approach to addressing mental health in Brown County and focused its early efforts on systems and culture change. The coalition addressed four core strategies in the community: mental health first aid, a mental health services navigation website, trainings for therapists, and school-based mental health.
Learn about holistic mental health approaches
Healthier Community Action Team (HCAT) – Lac du Flambeau Tribal Community
HCAT’s vision is to develop a model sustainability system encompassing culture, community involvement and support to build a healthier community by integrating and incorporating local culture to successfully accomplish goals. Given the history and challenges such as generational and historical trauma in the American Indian population, the Family Circles Program was brought back to the Lac du Flambeau community. Family Circles is a traditional Ojibwe cultural AODA prevention parenting program, emphasizing cultural history and traditions, education, alcohol harms awareness, grief and loss therapy, self-esteem and efficacy counseling, family relationship building, and language restoration.
Learn about historical trauma factors and mental health
Healthy Teen Minds – Calumet, Outagamie & Winnebago Counties
In the Fox Valley, the Healthy Teen Minds initiative focused on improving the mental health of local teens. With documented high rates of depression, lack of sleep and unhealthy school norms, the coalition used data analysis to guide its strategies to address youth mental health issues in the community.
Learn how to improve mental health in teens
Improving Children’s Mental Health – Racine County
Child development research supports early intervention as a key to addressing mental health, and the Racine coalition set out to address the issues facing its youth population. In addition to creating an online healthcare referral pathway, they’ve also implemented a social emotional learning curriculum and educated parents and school staff on early childhood development and the benefits of social emotional learning.
Learn about early intervention in addressing mental health
Marathon County School-Based Counseling Consortium (MSC-BCC) – Marathon County
Working with mental health professionals throughout Marathon County, the coalition established a school-based counseling consortium to bring mental health counseling services into the schools throughout the county. They addressed the need to improve poor mental health days and saved families time by serving youth where they are.
Learn about school-based mental health counseling
Mental Health Matters – Chippewa & Eau Claire Counties
Addressing teen mental health issues, Mental Health Matters took a collective impact approach to educating youth-serving professionals on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and how it impacts youth resilience, brought mindfulness training to the local schools, and created a health data report and scorecard to guide schools in decision making and policy change.
Learn about adverse childhood experiences and mental health
Southwestern Wisconsin Behavioral Health Partnership (SWBHP) – Grant, Green, Iowa, Lafayette & Richland Counties
In the rural five-county area of the state, the stigma surrounding mental health is great. The SWBHP took an interrelated, inter-dependent approach in three key areas and focused on normalizing the discussion around mental health and treatment, created a navigation system to easily access resources, and increased community support for one another.
Learn how to normalize mental health discussions and treatment