Hi folks, State Senator Jesse James here.
Something very exciting happened last week in the Wisconsin State Senate. Senate Bill 407 was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and now heads to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.
I don’t think I am overstating it to say that this legislation is nothing short of the most significant win for mental health in the Chippewa Valley ever.
SB 407 directs the Department of Health Services to award a $10 million grant to Rogers Behavioral Health, a non-profit independent provider of mental health and addiction services, to build and run a brand new integrated mental facility in the Chippewa Valley.
The Chippewa Valley area – and all of Western Wisconsin, desperately needs mental health resources, particularly to meet escalating adolescent and adult psychiatric needs. The area lacks youth inpatient or residential beds, leaving the area without the capacity to meet acute behavioral-health demands.
To address these concerns, Rogers Behavioral Health plans to replicate a proven framework bringing a distinctive, evidence-based solution to a community that currently lacks comparable resources. They are bringing a crisis stabilization unit, a residential treatment center, an intensive outpatient program, and supportive living housing. This span of care can help everyone who needs it; from triaging acute psychiatric crisis, to helping people who have completed day programs transition back into their local community. This facility will serve both public and private insurance payers, and accept involuntary crisis patients. It was essential to me that these resources are accessible for the whole community.
We have achieved local buy-in, with unanimous support from the Chippewa County Board and advocacy from the Chippewa Economic Development Corporation. They acted fast and agreed to a great deal with Rogers for the land where this facility will be built. Not only is it a beautiful piece of land, it has room for Rogers to expand the facility in the future.
Rogers is ready to move quickly on this project. They expect to break ground soon next year and have the facilities open by early 2027. I believe this is the perfect example of a public-private partnership. I am incredibly thankful for the support of my legislative colleagues, and I look forward to this bill being signed into law soon. Most importantly, I am so excited to see this facility running and serving the people who need it most.
