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Creating Mental Wellness through Systems Change

Transforming community mental health through collaboration, education, and enhanced systems of care

Full Project Name:Creating Mental Wellness through Systems ChangePrimary Community Organization:Foundations Health & WholenessPrimary Academic Partner:Michelle Broaddus, PhD, Psychiatry and Behavioral MedicineAward Amount:$300,000
Award Date
July2022
Project Duration:24 months

Project Description Narrative:


In phase three of Connections for Mental Wellness's Advancing Behavioral Health Initiative, the coalition's instructor collaborative will continue to be supported, and growth will be encouraged to help explore models to support future sustainability. The coalition will also continue discussions with Brown County school districts regarding opportunities to implement youth and teen school-based mental health initiatives as part of school policies and the standard curriculum for students.

With a vision of becoming Brown County's main source for mental health training, Connections for Mental Wellness (Connections) aims to provide training or connect those requesting training to training opportunities outside of Connections.

Connections' staff will continue to participate in other area initiatives and coalitions to partner on decision-making, allowing for further dissemination of work, sharing resources, and embedding resources throughout the community. In phase three, Connections will continue to support the training license consortium convened in phase two by adding additional participants and advocating for training licensed therapists to create a more robust, homegrown workforce of licensed mental health professionals. Additionally, the coalition will explore the opportunity to promote peer inclusion and embed certified peer specialists and other non-traditional services into the community to help address identified service gaps and overall capacity.

Connections will further identify and address the mental health service gap with the addition of mental health data to the existing community information system.

Due to the success of the school-based mental health program, the coalition will promote the continuation of coordination and implementation of a system that is inclusive and will provide ongoing assessment and evaluation to ensure future sustainability.

Community partners: Advocate Aurora, American Tent, Bellin Health, Brown County Health & Human Services, Brown County Board Dist. 8, Brown County United Way, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Green Bay, Curative Connections, De Pere Police Department, Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin, Foundations Health & Wholeness, Green Bay Area Public School District, Green Bay Police Department, Hope Chats/Certified Peer Specialist, Howard-Suamico School District, Innovative Counseling, JOSHUA, Life Church, Nativity Parish, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Prevea Health/HSHS, Resurrection Parish & Marion University, Richard Mauthe Center, Schreiber Foods, St. Norbert College Emmaus Center, The Gathering Place, University of Wisconsin Green Bay, Wisconsin Life Line, Wrightstown School District

Outcomes & Lessons Learned:


  • Continued to increase mental health education by sponsoring and supporting new Mental Health First Aid trainers to meet the increase in requests for trainings
  • Engaged with the School Based Mental Health collaborative to create 24 on-site mental health clinics within 24 schools in all eight Brown County public school districts
  • Continued use and growth of the Network of Care/MyConnectionsNEW.org website which helps the community gain awareness of and locate appropriate resources in the community
  • Working through the Strategic Choice Structuring model to identify options for the future and sustainability of the coalition
  • Leveraged over $450,000 through grant funding and over 1,500 volunteer hours from workgroup members and Mental Health First Aid trainers

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