Governor Evers Announces the Creation of Interagency Council on Mental Health

Friday, January 26th, 2024 -- 9:00 AM

(Natalie Eilbert, Green Bay Press-Gazette) It's been a year since Gov. Tony Evers called 2023 "The Year of Mental Health," but the governor reasserted his commitment to the crisis at the 2024 State of the State address when he announced he's creating an Interagency Council on Mental Health.

According to Natalie Eilbert with the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Evers described a "cascading effect for generations" Tuesday evening if the mental health crisis continues to run rampant.

"One year after declaring the Year of Mental Health, I’ll tell you tonight, as governor and as a grandfather, my concerns have not changed, and my fears have not waned. Much work remains," Evers said.

The purpose of the Interagency Council on Mental Health, Evers said, will be to reduce access barriers and address gaps in mental health services. That continues to be a daunting task across the nation, as the severity of mental health symptoms worsens and the waitlists for new patients to see a psychologist increasingly widen, according to a new pulse survey from the American Psychological Association.

The goal is to develop a statewide Mental Health Action Plan that can identify root causes of the mental health crisis, push for more awareness, reduce stigma and build capacity in order to expand access to statewide mental health services.

His renewed focus comes on the heels of a new report from the Wisconsin Office of Children's Mental Health, which warned that young people are still experiencing alarming levels of anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicidal thoughts.

Most concerning from the report, and one repeated by Evers Tuesday evening, is that one in 10 adolescents said they attempted suicide. In the coming days, Evers will sign an executive order creating the Governor’s Interagency Council on Mental Health.

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