DANE COUNTY BOARD TO WEIGH NEW STATE PARTNERSHIPS

October 03, 2019
Sharon Corrigan, County Board Chair - 608.333.2285
County Board

The Dane County Board on Thursday will consider several grants from the state of Wisconsin that include monies aimed at treating opioid addiction, preventing psychiatric hospitalizations for the disabled or elderly, as well as traffic enforcement initiatives on seat belt use and impaired driving.

The grants are among the items before the County Board at its regular meeting in Room 201 of the City-County Building at 210 MLK Jr. Blvd. in downtown Madison. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and is open to the public.

“As the fastest growing county in Wisconsin, Dane County is glad to expand our ongoing partnerships with the state,” said County Board Chair Sharon Corrigan (District 26, Middleton). “This type of financial support allows us to deliver targeted services to the public in a variety of key areas.”

The largest award before the County Board Thursday is a $253,000 Crisis Innovation Grant from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to help people with long-term needs who are recovering from, or at high risk of experiencing a mental health crisis. Of the 15 submitted applications to the state, Dane County’s proposal was ranked first.

The grant funds will be used to improve communication between state-contracted organizations, Dane County-funded crisis services, and other providers. The goal is to prevent and decrease unnecessary emergency detentions and psychiatric hospitalizations among the long-term care populations of developmentally disabled or frail elderly.

A project manager will convene regular meetings among key stakeholders already connected to behavioral management and crisis planning activities. Crisis response plans teams will be established to share strategies, interventions and resources to reduce hospital visits.

In addition, incentives will be available for direct care providers to participate in trainings focused on crisis prevention and crisis management. Consultants will be available to assist as part of selected crisis response plans. Funding will be available for environmental modifications necessary to expand capacity of the Safe House and to increase the ability of residential providers to manage crises in place. Grant funds are authorized through December 31, 2020.

“Reducing crisis situations for some of our most vulnerable residents is a laudable and attainable goal,” said Supervisor Jamie Kuhn (District 16, Madison) who chairs the county’s Health & Human Needs Committee. “Everyone involved in landing this generous grant and those who provide care deserve our most heartfelt thanks.” 

The agenda for this Thursday’s meeting can be found here: https://dane.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=643903&GUID=2DE9F5C9-218B-4CC2-9BB1-64131C64905D