Board approves consultant contract for Milwaukee mental healthcare revamp

Milwaukee County is moving forward on the redesign of its mental health crisis system.

The Milwaukee County Health Board signed off on a contract last week with Wipfli Certified Public Accountants and Consultants to develop financial model options for the plan.

Wipfli will look at developing a model of crisis care delivered through a single community psychiatric emergency room and a “decentralized” model focused on hospital emergency rooms and mobile county services.

The cost of the $200,000 contract will be shared between the county’s Behavioral Health Division and the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership.

A team made up of members from the Behavioral Health Division, the health systems, those with lived experience and law enforcement will develop and vet plans. The county hopes to have a final proposal by December.

The county also inked a contract Jan. 30 with Universal Health Services, the Pennsylvania-based private provider that will take on the county’s inpatient services.

Mike Lappen, administrator of the county’s Behavioral Health Division, said they had to make a small correction in the contract, which was approved by the board in September, that took several months to iron out.

He said Universal Health Services staff have met with county employees and hope to move forward on a facility soon.

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