Milwaukee Succeeds Signs on to Support Mental Health Awareness
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Mental Health America of WI (MHA) and the MKE Mental Health Civic Action Team issued a press release calling on leaders, providers and policymakers to support increased mental health services for children and families. More than 35 individuals and community organizations, including Milwaukee Succeeds, signed on to help raise awareness of this critical issue.
In 2021, the organizations declared a public health emergency for children’s mental health, predicting a sustained, multifaceted crisis. Now, two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, their concerns have become a reality.
“We are seeing sharp increases in children’s Emergency Room visits for mental health crises and huge disparities in mental health outcomes for LBGTQ+ youth,” the report reads. “Gun violence has become the number one cause of death for children and young adults from age one to 24. We anticipate that we will not fully understand the breadth of this crisis for years.”
MHA and the Civic Action Team are calling for a three-pronged approach to address this crisis, beginning with increasing access to mental health services for children and the adults in their lives. They’ve also called upon leaders to develop a broad messaging campaign to increase awareness, reduce stigma and normalize mental health struggles. Finally, they’ve stressed the importance of creating a network of funders, initiative leaders, researchers and evaluators to coordinate a more equitable response to this mental health crisis.
“The time is now,” the release concludes. “Only together can we address this public health crisis. In honor of Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week and Mental Health Awareness Month, we call on each of you to use your voice, your passion, and your influence to advance these recommendations.”