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Mental Health Emergency Center

24-Hour Crisis Line

Call (414) 257-7222 now if you believe you or a loved one is experiencing a crisis.

The Mental Health Emergency Center (MHEC) is a joint venture between the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division and four of the area’s health systems: Advocate Aurora Health, Ascension Wisconsin, Children’s Wisconsin and Froedtert Health. One new component in the broader array of mental health services available in Milwaukee County, the MHEC serves as a national model for emergency crisis care that is patient-centered, recovery-oriented and culturally informed.

Mental Health Emergency Center Website

MHEC's Scope of Services

  • 24/7 crisis mental health services for children, adolescents and adults. The MHEC offers 24/7 crisis mental health assessment, stabilization, treatment and transition care management for children, adolescents and adults. There is  a separate treatment area for child and adolescent patients, as well as a separate entrance for those arriving via law enforcement.
  • The MHEC provides a therapeutic environment for both voluntary and involuntary patients and facilitates the timely transfer for those under law enforcement custody to the care of highly trained, compassionate mental health professionals.
  • The anticipated length of stay for emergency care is 4 to 23 hours with the goal for all patients to receive timely treatment and transfer to the appropriate level of care. The MHEC offers two adult observation and four short-stay adult inpatient beds. Children and adolescents needing observation or inpatient services are promptly transferred to a pediatric mental health facility.
  • Extensive care management and navigation services are provided by the MHEC, ensuring safe and timely connections to continuing care - be that extended inpatient, residential or outpatient mental services or medications, housing, food and other social supports.
  • Crisis telepsychiatry services are also available to patients being served in other health care settings.

Community Need

About 1 in 5 individuals experience mental illness in their lifetime, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Resources for those with mental health challenges have been identified in local community health assessments as a top need for many years.

Insights from consumers, community partners, advocates and health care providers dating back to 2010 have shaped the redesign of mental health services in Milwaukee County.

The Mental Health Emergency Center is the next major milestone in our community’s journey toward holistic, decriminalized, de-stigmatized and equitable mental health care.

Community Access

The MHEC is located at 1525 N. 12th Street, in the City of Milwaukee, and serve patients residing in Milwaukee County and surrounding communities.

This location is served by public transportation and is adjacent to the freeway, ensuring ready access for those in need of care, as well as for county-wide law enforcement personnel assisting with a crisis response.

Currently, 93% of patient visits to PCS originate from the City of Milwaukee and 70% of patients served by PCS live in close proximity to the MHEC.

Staffing and Operations

A board of eight directors govern the collaborative JV effort, with four County directors, and four directors representing the health systems. Advocate Aurora Health serves as the manager of the MHEC, responsible for employing physicians and staff and for the day-to-day operations under the direction of the JV’s Board of Directors. As the largest provider of behavioral and mental health services in the State, Advocate Aurora Health brings significant clinical and patient service expertise to the delivery of care.

MHEC staffing is led through a medical model, with psychiatrists serving as lead providers. In addition, there are nurse practitioners, registered nurses, psychiatric techs, social workers and peer support specialists who use their unique combination of lived experience and training to help those in treatment reach their recovery goals. A Transfer Coordinator with clinical training (RN) is onsite 24/7 to work with the physicians to facilitate transfers into and out of the facility. MHEC security personnel are trained in therapeutic measures with an emphasis on de-escalation tactics, and are integrated into the care model.

In the News

Media Contact: Taylor Fisher (414) 635-7007

Board Signs off on Membership Agreement, Bylaws for Milwaukee Mental Health Emergency Center

Milwaukee County Mental Health Board Members in a Virtual Meeting

Wisconsin Health News - June 22, 2021

The Milwaukee County Mental Health Board signed off on the member agreement and bylaws for a new mental health emergency center at a meeting last week.

6/22

County Nearing Milestones in Its Decade-long Mental Health Services Overhaul

A computer rendering of the New Milwaukee County Mental Health Emergency Center

Biz Times - May 10, 2021

In 2010, a report commissioned by Milwaukee County’s Behavioral Health Division charted a path forward for the department, which was deemed overly reliant on crisis intervention and institutionalized care.

5/10

Milwaukee County Wisconsin Partners With Four Health Systems to Develop Joint Venture Mental Health Emergency Center

Open Minds logo

Open Minds - April 5, 2021

The Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Behavioral Health Division (BHD) is planning to partner with four local health systems on a joint venture to develop a mental health emergency center for the County. The health systems are Advocate Aurora Health, Froedtert Health, Ascension Wisconsin and Children’s Wisconsin. The plans call for the center to provide four inpatient beds for adults, and four observation beds, with two for adults and two for youth.

4/5

Committee OK’s Funding for Emergency Mental Health Center

Milwaukee County MHEC Rendering

Urban Milwaukee - March 19, 2021

Milwaukee County is moving forward with the development of a new Mental Health Emergency Center. In late 2020 Milwaukee County announced its Behavioral Health Division (BHD) had partnered with four major health care systems — Ascension Wisconsin, Advocate Aurora Health, Froedtert Health and Children’s Wisconsin — to develop a new facility for county residents experiencing a psychiatric emergency.

3/19

Committee Reviews Mental Health Emergency Center Plan

Milwaukee County MHEC Rendering

Urban Milwaukee - Feb. 3, 2021

The Milwaukee County Board has begun reviewing the county’s plan for a new Mental Health Emergency Center. The center would be a joint venture between the county’s Behavioral Health Division (BHD) and four health care providers operating in the area: Ascension Wisconsin, Advocate Aurora Health, Froedtert Health and Children’s Wisconsin.

2/3

Mental Health Care in Milwaukee County Could Include New Emergency Center

Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division Photo

WUWM - Jan. 22, 2021

Today, Bubbler Talk looks at the status of mental health care in the Milwaukee area. Our question comes from listener and Milwaukee resident Scott Bollen. He often drives by the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center in Wauwatosa and notices a disparity between one modern facility and one set of older buildings.

1/22

Emergency Center ‘Last Piece of the Puzzle’ for Transforming Milwaukee County’s Mental Health System

Photos of Local Mental Health Administrators

Wisconsin Health News - Jan. 22, 2021

A proposed mental health emergency center is “really the last piece of the puzzle” for redesigning Milwaukee County’s mental health system, says Mike Lappen, administrator for the county’s Behavioral Health Division.

1/22

24-hour Mental Health Emergency Center Planned for North Side

City of Milwaukee Town Hall photo

Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service - Jan. 21, 2021

Plans are underway for a new mental health emergency center on the North Side that will bring unprecedented psychiatric services to residents. The proposed center is expected to open in March 2022 and provide 24-hour mental health services near North 12th and West Walnut streets, making services more widely accessible to the central city residents, in particular. The center would occupy a lot currently owned by Milwaukee County.

1/21

County, Health System Partners Eye North Side Site for Milwaukee Mental Health Emergency Center

Milwaukee Mental Health Complex Building Photo

Biz Times - Jan. 15, 2021

Milwaukee County and four partnering area health systems are eyeing a site at 12th and Walnut streets on Milwaukee’s near north side for their mental health emergency center joint venture. The County and project partners Advocate Aurora Health, Ascension Wisconsin, Children’s Wisconsin and Froedtert Health announced in December to develop the new emergency center, a significant step in a years-long process of redesigning the county’s mental health delivery system.

1/15

Major Changes to County Mental Health Care Took a Decade to Accomplish

Milwaukee County Psychiatric Crisis Services Sign Photo

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Dec. 31, 2020

Two years from now, for the first time since 1880, Milwaukee County will not operate an asylum or hospital for people with behavioral health conditions. The foundation for that pending change has been the remaking of the long-troubled Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division over the past decade.

12/31

New Mental Health Emergency Center Sought for Milwaukee County Residents

TMJ4 logo

TMJ4 - Dec. 11, 2020

The Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division (BHD), along with four local health systems — Advocate Aurora Health, Ascension Wisconsin, Children's Wisconsin, and Froedtert Health, entered a letter of intent to develop a joint venture mental health emergency center for Milwaukee County.

12/11

Milwaukee County, Health Systems Pursue New Mental Health Crisis Center

County Executive David Crowley Photo

Wisconsin Health News - Dec. 11, 2020

Milwaukee County on Thursday said it has entered into a preliminary agreement with four area health systems to develop a joint venture mental health emergency center, a major part of efforts to redesign the area’s mental health system.

12/10

Milwaukee County, Four Health Systems to Develop Mental Health Emergency center

Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex Building Photo

Biz Times - Dec. 10, 2020

Milwaukee County and Milwaukee’s four largest health systems plan to develop a mental health emergency center on the city’s near north side. The county’s Behavioral Health Division, Advocate Aurora Health, Ascension Wisconsin, Froedtert Health and Children’s Wisconsin said they have entered into a letter of intent for the joint venture, marking a major milestone in a years-long process of redesigning the county’s mental health delivery system.

12/10

Health Systems and Behavioral Health Division Form Joint Venture for New Psychiatric Emergency Department in Milwaukee

Milwaukee County Psychiatric Crisis Services Sign Photo

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Dec. 10, 2020

Four health care systems and the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division have reached an unprecedented agreement in which the health systems will pay half the cost of building and operating a new psychiatric emergency department just north of downtown Milwaukee.

12/10

Resources

Community FAQ

At BHS, our role is to ensure everyone in Milwaukee County has access to high-quality, patient-centered behavioral health services, no matter their severity of illness or ability to pay. Your questions are important to us and while we may not have all the answers today, we are committed to keeping you updated as the project continues forward.

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Is the Mental Health Emergency Center a psychiatric hospital?

Although the MHEC is licensed as a psychiatric hospital, its primary purpose is to assess, stabilize then discharge or transfer patients after a few hours, at most up to 24-hours.

Who is treated at the Mental Health Emergency Center?

The MHEC treats and evaluate anyone in need of emergency mental health services, regardless of their ability to pay or insurance status. Children as young as four-years, adolescents and adults of any age experiencing a mental health crisis are treated at the MHEC. A separate entrance and treatment area is provided for children. Adults voluntarily seeking treatment enter through the main doors, while those accompanied by law enforcement access treatment through a third entrance. Those who are not experiencing an emergency mental health crisis are encouraged to seek care at BHS’s community health centers, including Access Clinic East, Access Clinic South, Crisis Resource Centers, and through the BHS Crisis Line.

How many beds does the Mental Health Emergency Center have?

Because it is an emergency center and patients are assessed within one day, very few beds are required. The MHEC has four adult inpatient hospital beds for patients who are expected to have brief stays. In addition, there are two observation beds. No beds are specified for children. Following observation and diagnosis, care plans ensure that community-based follow-up is provided through inpatient and/or outpatient programs.

What if further treatment is needed?

Following assessment at the MHEC, patients are connected to ongoing inpatient, residential, community-based, peer-support or outpatient options. Due to the  complexity of patients seen at the MHEC, patients requiring inpatient hospitalization are in most cases transferred to a local psychiatric hospital such as: Granite Hills, Advocate Aurora, Rogers Memorial, or one of the other health system partner facilities.

Where is the Mental Health Emergency Center be located?

The location MHEC is located at 1525 N. 12th St., right next to the new Marcia P. Coggs Health and Human Services Center.

Is the Mental Health Emergency Center be easily accessible?

The MHEC’s location is served by public transportation and adjacent to freeway entrances, ensuring easy off and on access. It is positioned to provide ready access for those in need of care and will minimize the time required for countywide law-enforcement personnel visits to the MHEC. The MHEC readily accepts law-enforcement referrals, increasing officer confidence that making a drive to the MHEC is preferable to other options, (i.e., jail, hospital, relocation, etc.) MHEC staff ensures smooth transitions so that officers can quickly return to their next assignment.

Who operates the Mental Health Emergency Center?

Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Services (BHS) along with four Milwaukee Health Systems – Advocate Aurora Health, Ascension Wisconsin, Children’s Wisconsin and Froedtert Health created the joint venture to develop the mental health emergency center.

A board of eight directors governs the collaborative JV effort, with four County directors, and four directors representing the health systems. Advocate Aurora Health serves as the manager of the MHEC, responsible for employing physicians and staff and for the day-to-day operations under the direction of the JV’s Board of Directors. As the largest provider of behavioral and mental health services in the State, Advocate Aurora Health brings significant clinical and patient service expertise to the delivery of care.

Does the staff have specialized training?

MHEC staffing is led through a medical model, with psychiatrists serving as lead providers. In addition, there are nurse practitioners, registered nurses, psychiatric techs, social workers and peer support specialists who use their unique combination of lived experience and training to help those in treatment reach their recovery goals. A Transfer Coordinator with clinical training (RN) is onsite 24/7 to work with the physicians to facilitate transfers into and out of the facility. MHEC security personnel are trained in therapeutic measures, with an emphasis on de-escalation tactics, and are integrated into the care model.

Has community input been a part of the Mental Health Emergency Center’s development process?

Since 2010, the community has been asked for input regarding the redesign of psychiatric services in Milwaukee County and has provided feedback through surveys and community conversations. Multiple research efforts have been undertaken by the County, the health systems, community partners, mental health advocates and consultants. Community input was collected and has greatly contributed to the development of many facets that make up the improved crisis continuum of mental health services, including the MHEC.

If you have additional feedback to share, please reach out to us using the contact form below.

How has the Mental Health Emergency Center impact its immediate neighborhood?

The MHEC’s presence increases the level of lighting and security in the community, provide jobs, and beautifies and revitalizes the neighborhood. The Joint Venture shares the community’s goals of greater public safety and making the neighborhood around the MHEC more desirable for all.

Who designed and built the Mental Health Emergency Center?

The JV has engaged the Milwaukee office of Eppstein Uhen Architects, CG Schmidt Construction, known for its diversity emphasis in hiring, and the locally and minority-owned general contractor, JCP Construction.

Contact Us

We expect you’ll have questions about what the Mental Health Emergency Center means for you. We want to hear from you. Ask a question or send us your thoughts/comments using the form below.

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