A Healthier Wisconsin
AHWWebImage_ParentPage_WhatWeDo.jpg

Resilience Alignment Beekeepers

Advancing Behavioral Health Initiative Phase II: Reducing behavioral health crisis calls in northern Wisconsin

Full Project Name:Resilience Alignment BeekeepersPrimary Community Organization:NorthLakes Community ClinicPrimary Academic Partner:Michelle Broaddus, PhD, Psychiatry and Behavioral MedicineAward Amount:$1,000,000.00
Award Date
July2017
Project Duration:60 months

Project Description Narrative:


Advancing Behavioral Health Initiative Phase II The cost of a mental health crisis is both psychological and financial, and can be staggering to individuals and their communities. In addition, each call has a "ripple effect." Families, friends and classmates left behind experience trauma. Schools and workplaces lose days of participation. In a four-county community with strained resources, partner recognize a need to address behavioral health before a point of crisis. Through a collaborative effort, this project seeks to reduce the number of behavioral health crisis calls in the four counties (Ashland, Bayfield, Sawyer and Washburn Counties) from current totals by 30% by 2022 by:

  • Creating a framework for systemic coordination which will allow cross-sector partners to use resources more efficiently and effectively, and address complex needs
  • Increasing access to services for underserved populations in Ashland and Bayfield counties through a mobile drop-in site in high-traffic locations staffed by a trusted high-level cross-trained coordinator who will give clients warm-handoff referrals to resources that address socio-economic conditions as well as clinical needs
  • Improving responses to behavioral health crises through data sharing and increased collaboration among partner agencies

This project is part of AHW's Advancing Behavioral Health Initiative, an eight-year, $20 million initiative bringing together 10 community coalitions from across Wisconsin to address pressing mental health needs within their communities. The initiative is designed in three phases, providing a funded planning year, a five-year implementation period, and a two-year sustainable transformation phase.

Outcomes & Lessons Learned:


  • Developed CA:tCH (Chequamegon Accountable: the Community for Health) Safety Plan to apply a person-centered and trauma-informed approach to behavioral health crises and integrated CA:tCH Plans into internal systems and workflows at participating agencies
  • Trained over 100 staff across agencies on use of CA:tCH Safety Plans
  • Expanded access to resources through NorthLakes Community Clinic's expansion of programming to include community health worker and peer specialist programs
  • Implementation of CA:tCH Plans resulted in 50 plans made by individuals and added to the WISHIN CA:tCH Portal, serving as a statewide health records information exchange

AHW Logo

8701 W Watertown Plank Road,
Milwaukee, WI 53226-0509
(414) 955-4350

©2021 MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | MCW.EDU | TERMS & PRIVACY | NON-DISCRIMINATION NOTICE

top