New mental health emergency center will take Milwaukee County complex’s place

Milwaukee County will move from the Mental Health Complex and Psychiatric Crisis Services to the new Mental Health Emergency Center in September, a spokesperson for the county said on Monday. 

The Mental Health Emergency Center at 1525 N. 12th Street will start accepting psychiatric patients on Sept. 6, county spokeswoman Shelly Schumacher told The Daily Reporter. The Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex, at 9455 W. Water Town Plank Road in Wauwatosa, will close permanently three days later, she added. 

“This is the next stage in transforming the county’s behavioral health system into a community-based model for behavioral health care,” Schumacher said. “With the closure of the Mental Health Complex and PCS, Milwaukee County, the area’s private health systems, community behavioral health providers and (Behavioral Health Division) partners will work together even more closely to improve the community’s behavioral health delivery system.” 

The start-up cost for the Mental Health Emergency Center was projected at $18 million. The county is covering 50% of the cost and participating health systems the other half, Milwaukee County said in a statement. The center is expected to deliver care but at an operating loss of $12 million a year, a figure the county and four health systems will split. The county will ask the State of Wisconsin for reimbursement to keep the center viable in the future. 

CG Schmidt and JCP Construction were hired for the project and created dozens of jobs during construction, the county said. Officials predicted the project would wrap up in early 2022. 

The mental health center would employ 70 full-time staffers and train Medical College of Wisconsin psychiatric medical residents, the county said. The center will serve as a 24/7 crisis center for children, teens and adults, and will provide a therapeutic environment for voluntary and involuntary patients. 

“After a decade of research, community input and redesign, we are reaching the next milestone in transitioning to a national best practice model of behavioral health care,” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said in a statement. “The redesign focused on improving access to behavioral health services and quality care in our most underserved and vulnerable communities. This is a major development in demonstrating our commitment to achieving racial and health equity and becoming the healthiest county in Wisconsin.” 

The county will work with Advocate Aurora Health, Ascension Wisconsin, Children’s Wisconsin and Froedtert Health to provide services to Milwaukee residents.