Madison Police Chief Michael Koval is finally taking an essential step on the road to improving mental health care in Dane County. There is no denying that the subject of mental illness is a taboo in Madison. It is hugely impactful as well as prevalent in today’s society, and yet it is seldom talked about. Despite the attitudes and connotations toward mental health, many people are affected by it, whether they experience it themselves or walk alongside a loved one who is afflicted by one of the many conditions that fall under the category of mental illness.
Not surprisingly, the mental health care system is incredibly flawed, and has been slow and difficult to change. The state of Wisconsin and, more specifically, the Madison area, is no exception to this. Despite the recent push toward repairing the system and lessening the stigma surrounding mental illness, there have been shortcomings in funding, especially within Dane county.
When initially approaching the subject of mental illness, few people think of the interaction between mental health and law enforcement. However, last month when Madison Police Chief Koval announced his stance on the mental health care system, he brought a different perspective to the topic of mental health in Dane County.
With both a public blog post on the City of Madison website, as well as a press conference, Koval called out agencies on both the state and local level on their reluctance to bring change to the mental health system. In this blog post, he also proposed a change in law enforcement protocol concerning incidents of mental illness. These changes were implemented in the beginning of February and included the addition of a group of five mental health officers. These officers work at the local level, assisting mentally ill individuals so that they can receive the help they need before the issue is escalated.
Koval has not been the first in Dane County to be outspoken about the flaws in the mental health system. Health care providers have expressed their frustrations as well, and not without good reason. Last April, Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services made the decision that Mendota Mental Health Institute would no longer accept emergency civil detentions. This action places the nearest alternative at Winnebago Mental Health Institute, which is located in Oshkosh. Because of this, police must drive an individual suffering a mental health emergency to this location, which is incredibly problematic.
A large portion of the problems surrounding mental health can be attributed to the lack of funding in Dane County. As a comparison, Dane County spends 13 percent less per capita on mental health than any other county in Wisconsin. Koval, along with many others in the past, have publicly criticized this, and yet changes have continued to be slow due to this lack of funding.
The consequences of the flawed mental health care system are worrisome and can be much more severe than one may realize. This lack of funding and action in the system puts people who are mentally ill in a precarious situation, which in turn has the ability to impact everyone. Even if an individual doesn’t personally struggle with mental illness, it can and will certainly intersect their lives in ways that cannot be anticipated. These effects can be devastating, and in most cases, could have been prevented entirely with the proper care.
Koval should be commended for finally going in the right direction with mental illness in Dane County. By criticizing those who have the authority to change the system, as well as doing what he can in Madison’s police force to make a positive impact, Koval’s efforts should not go unnoticed. Efforts like this are essential in the battle to to improve the mental health system in Dane County, which will have a positive impact on everyone.
Hannah Fricke ([email protected]) is a sophomore studying microbiology.
