Wisconsin lawmakers expect mental health to have bipartisan support in biennial budget

(WLUK) -- Wisconsin lawmakers are saying that mental health is an area that both sides agree needs to be addressed.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has vowed to support mental health services in the biennial budget.

"This is the year of mental health from my vantage point," Evers said.

Since being reelected to a second term, Evers has outlined his intention to act on the mental health challenges plaguing people across the state.

“We’ll kind of bring mental health and behavioral health out of the closet and shining light on the needs, and we certainly saw that during the pandemic," Evers said.

Even lawmakers on the other side agree that it’s a cause they can get behind.

“When we’re talking about common ground, such as mental health -- big one -- both parties are supporting mental health services for the state of Wisconsin," said State Rep. Rachael Cabral-Guevara, R-19th District.

Cabral-Guevara said there’s no denying the issue in Wisconsin. It’s one that experts in the field say has been ignored for too long.

“Before the pandemic, mental health and substance use disorders were the number one public health epidemic of our time," said Teresa Garate, Rogers Behavioral Health executive vice president for strategic development and growth.

Garate said there are a number of ways that additional funding would make a difference.

“If we were thinking about healthcare in general -- not just mental health -- we would say, ‘Everyone has access to cancer treatment or chemotherapy,'" Garate said. "It’s not the same conversation when you talk about mental health. Many challenges relating to insurance, care, Medicaid eligibility and the lack of providers -- we don't have enough psychiatrists -- we don’t have enough people in this field.”

Garate also said these challenges can affect anyone.

“Mental health doesn’t discriminate on your race, your age, your culture, your whatever background you come from," Garate said.

Several suggestions in the proposed budget would expand availability or create new programs. Evers said there will be chances to overlap with his plans for shared revenue.

"Our police, fire and EMTs -- they deal with mental health issues all the time," Evers said. "So, this will give municipalities more resources to provide more training for their safety people."

Efforts have already been made to make support more accessible, like the launch of the 988 hotline last summer. Garate says she believes this has helped bring more awareness to the issue.

Evers' proposal includes over $500 million to be invested into mental health services. That includes pilot programs that would make help more accessible for groups like children, farmers and veterans.