News Flash • Washtenaw County, MI • CivicEngage

Stronger together: 2023 mental health millage annual report

Washtenaw County Community Mental Health is pleased to share their 2023 millage impact report.

In 2017, the Community Mental Health and Public Safety Preservation Millage was approved by Washtenaw County voters by a 2-1 margin. Funds became available on Ja…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Washtenaw County’s Co-Response Unit celebrates 2nd anniversary

In the spring of 2022, with funding from Washtenaw County’s Community Mental Health and Public Safety Preservation Millage, Mental Health Professional Christine Holston and Deputy James Roy were tasked with staffing a co-response pilot to respond to menta…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

A Q&A with Lisa Gentz on WCCMH’s approach to evaluating millage initiatives

Lisa Gentz, program administrator for millage initiatives, explains what programs are under evaluation, why evaluation is so important, and what WCCMH has learned so far.

Q: Which initiatives are being evaluated and by whom?

A: We primarily evaluate initia…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Washtenaw’s crisis team is an unarmed, 24/7 resource for residents in need

Anyone in need can reach out to the Washtenaw County Community Mental Health (WCCMH) 24/7 helpline for information, referrals, mental health or substance use assessments, and, importantly, crisis assistance. Sometimes, the county’s mental health…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage and countywide hoteling the houseless initiatives fill gaps in Washtenaw housing needs

Data from the most recent Washtenaw County houselessness survey shows an increase in unsheltered individuals from 2020 to 2023. In November 2020, the surveyors found 292 people experiencing houselessness; this number has increased each year since then, wi…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Handle With Care program alerts school staff to student trauma. What happens next?

The “handle with care” notices that Washtenaw County schools receive aren’t very specific. 

Submitted by local police when a child has experienced a potentially traumatic event, each notice bears only the name of the child and the date of submissi…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Supporting parents and guardians: WISD’s mental health education webinars

In 2023, with support from the Community Mental Health and Public Safety Preservation Millage, the Washtenaw Intermediate School District launched a parent and guardian mental health education webinar series. Occurring monthly since October, the webinars …

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Additional Info…
Community Mental Health – Millage News

WCCMH serves more, invests in community programs with millage funds

In 2017, the Community Mental Health and Public Safety Preservation Millage was approved by Washtenaw County voters by a 2-1 margin. Since January of 2019, when the funds were first made available, the millage has provided essential resources to address c…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Advancements at state, county levels work to reform youth justice system

In 2023, a bipartisan legislative bill package was signed into law to achieve a number of the recommendations set forth by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s task force on juvenile justice reform.&a…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage funding approved for Ypsilanti-area Collaborative Mental Health Program

In October, the millage approved three years of funding for the Community Family Life Center’s Collaborative Mental Health Program, dedicated to addressing the mental health concerns of Black male youth aged 10-25 in the Ypsilanti area. The fund…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

A reentry journey in Washtenaw County

On a typical day, Stephanale, 51, wakes up in his Washtenaw County hotel room and prepares for work. He gets picked up by his boss or walks to an urban farm in Ypsilanti, where he spends his days planting, harvesting, and distributing fresh produce to loc…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage Advisory Committee approves additional funding for the Washtenaw Health Project

The Millage Advisory Committee approved additional funding for the Washtenaw Health Project. $165,000 in funding will allow the Washtenaw Health Project to continue and expand efforts to ensure mental health care is accessible to all, particularly those w…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

$4 million in federal funds stretch millage dollars and enhance services

Debbie Stabenow, United States Senator for the State of Michigan since 2001, grew up in rural Michigan with a father who experienced bipolar symptoms. Like many of those without access to mental health support, Stabenow’s father and family struggled.

When …

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Zen spaces, support animals, and more. Millage mini-grants fund emotional supports for students

Since 2019, the Washtenaw County Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage has provided the Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD)  with funding for mini-grants to create school-based programs that support students’ mental welln…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Washtenaw jail-based behavioral health services aim to break the cycle of recidivism

For the last four years, Washtenaw County’s Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage has provided financial support to reduce recidivism rates–the rates at which individuals return to jail after serving their time–among Washtenaw County jail r…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage Advisory Committee approves funding for 5 Healthy Towns mental health initiative

In February, the millage approved a one-year pilot grant for 5 Healthy Towns Foundation (5HF), a foundation dedicated to improving personal and community wellness in five rural Michigan  communities (Chelsea, Dexter, Gr…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

It takes a millage: 2022 Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage annual report

2022 was the fourth year that the Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage provided funding to expand access to mental health and substance use services across Washtenaw County.In the latest impact report, we share information about d…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Washtenaw County Community Mental Health hires new youth and families wraparound facilitator

Finding mental health and substance use support for children and teens can overwhelm and frustrate families. The more organizations involved, the more challenging it becomes. Often, families that are going through an incredibly challenging time aren’t awa…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Michigan Ability Partners works to decrease homelessness in Washtenaw County

“There’s a lot of need. We see that every day” says Jan Little, Chief Executive Officer of Michigan Ability Partners, a housing agency in Washtenaw county.  “But we also see progress. We see the numbers going down on the [county’s Community Housi…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Washtenaw County housing agencies expand services following millage funding project

In 2019, four local housing agencies were awarded a total of $1.2 million in funding from Washtenaw County’s Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation millage to increase supportive housing and services for youth and adults contending with mental healt…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

$2.3 million awarded to fill gaps in youth mental health care

Washtenaw County’s Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage Advisory Committee has awarded $2.3 million over three years to the Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD) to fill gaps in youth mental health programming. The grant will give …

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Presenting NAMI Washtenaw County’s local resource guide, Taking Care.

“Your Mind Matters” are the first words you see when you open Washtenaw County’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness’s new mental health resource booklet, Taking Care. 

Even though mental illnesses are very common—one in five Americ…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

A Q&A with Willie Sturdivant, Jr., LEADD Case Manager with Washtenaw County Community Mental Health

We recently spoke with Willie Sturdivant, Jr., a case manager at Washtenaw County Community Mental Health (WCCMH) who works with the county’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion and Deflection (LEADD) program.

Q. How did you come to work f…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Washtenaw County’s crisis response team offers in person support

We sat down with Emily Scheitz from the Washtenaw County Community Mental Health crisis response team to learn about the unique way it serves the county, and the team’s plans for the future.

The crisis team provides 24/7 crisis mental health care to everyo…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

The millage shares its 2021 annual impact report

We are delighted to share the latest Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage annual report. The impact of the millage–on Washtenaw County Community Mental Health services and on the services provided by essential community partners–h…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Washtenaw County aims for systems-level criminal justice reform with a new pilot program

By Gregory Powers

While the U.S. incarceration rate recently fell to its lowest level since 1995, the nation still incarcerates a larger proportion of its population than any other country in the world. Right now, there …

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

CLR Academy–a sports-focused, leadership program for K-8 youth–expands with millage funding

By Gregory Powers

In Washtenaw County, there’s a free summer program for K-8 youth who reside in neighborhoods with common barriers to healthy living—a lack of transportation or healthy foods, or a history of gun violence. And, this year, it’s exp…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Thanks to millage funding, new positions at WCCMH and partner agencies help meet community needs

By Kimberly Snodgrass

From reentry support staff to peer support specialists, Washtenaw County’s Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation millage has funded community-based positions since 2019. These highly specialized posit…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

The national 988 Lifeline for mental health launched. What does that mean for Washtenaw?

By Gregory Powers

Launched in July 2022, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a national behavioral health initiative, backed by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The 24/7 line is desi…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Washtenaw County explores the prospect of a youth assessment center

By Kimberly Snodgrass

Almost three decades ago, Hillsborough County–home to Tampa, FL–was in the middle of a juvenile justice crisis. 

The county’s youth detention centers were overcrowded. Its youth recidivism rates were high. And its law…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

With greater resources from millage, WCCMH becomes access point for substance use referrals

By Gregory Powers

In Washtenaw County, there’s a phone number for individuals seeking substance use support—a 24/7 hotline that gives people access to an immediate screening, referral to a community provider, or guidance on how to get connected to services…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage funding helps NAMI build relationships and trust in Washtenaw County communities

Story by Cleoniki Kesidis

“Outreach is not easy work,” says Judy Gardner, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Washtenaw County (NAMI). “It’s relationships building. It’s showing up. It’s building trus…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Mental Health First Aid trainers are teaching our community how to respond to those in need

Story by Seaira Wainaina and Gregory Powers

Each year in the United States, one in five adults and one in six youth experience mental illness. And in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic—with social isolation, job…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

A tsunami of need: the millage provides social workers to support youth in schools

Story by Cleoniki Kesidis

As pandemic conditions change, the need for mental health services in schools continues to rise.

“It’s like a tsunami,” says Stacey Doyle, a Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD) social worker. “Because of the pand…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Reentry redux: How millage funds help residents of the jail navigate community reentry

By Erin Spanier

Returning to the community after a jail stay. 

It sounds simple enough on the face of it, but even in resource-rich communities like ours, more than half of Michiganders will return to jail within three years of release. An…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Success from planning: how community conversations, collaboration shaped the millage’s initial years

By Elisabeth Paymal

If indeed “planning is everything,” then what makes planning successful? As we reflect on the impact of the first three years of the Washtenaw County’s Public Safety and Mental Hea…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage funds help Ozone House youth with housing and supportive services

For over 50 years, Ozone House has played a pivotal role in Washtenaw County—assisting runaway, homeless, and high-risk youth and their families.

While stable housing is a primary focus, the organization has expanded its mission …

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Introducing LEADD: A new millage-supported program to divert from jail to mental health services

Imagine this situation: Someone is intoxicated, possibly struggling with a larger problem like addiction or poverty, and refusing to leave a business. The business owner calls the police. What should the police do?

“Traditionally, the police had two option…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage partners with 5 Healthy Towns to tackle mental health needs of western Washtenaw County

When it comes to health and wellness programs and services, Washtenaw County is typically viewed as a “resource rich” community—home to two major health systems and a robust collection of social service organizations.

Many of these organizations have simil…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage funds an expansion of the mobile crisis team to partner with the Chelsea Police Department

When the mental health and public safety millage began funding services in Washtenaw County, a key goal was increasing access for rural residents.

While the eastern part of Washtenaw County is urban, the western part is mainly agricultural and rural. Chels…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

With millage support, Student Advocacy Center helps local youth navigate their education

Students with mental and behavioral health needs often struggle in school, as early as elementary school. They may feel misunderstood, confused, or uncomfortable. And sometimes, it causes them to act out—which can disrupt their education and set them on a…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Washtenaw’s mental health millage attracts press, serving as a model for others communities

Throughout 2021, the Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage was featured in a number of local publications—and even nationally in Politico. Media mentions like these have a ripple effect, making it possible for the millage to serve…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Corner Health Center is serving the psychiatry needs of Washtenaw County youth with millage funding

One-stop care. What is it? A place that meets your needs holistically—from physical health to mental health, from wellness to treatment, from education to support.

For some, it might sound like a lofty ideal. However, at a colorful storefront on N…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage funding and partnerships are reforming how Washtenaw County responds to public safety

Beginning in 2019, the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) and Washtenaw County Community Mental Health (WCCMH)—with funding from the Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage—came together to adopt a set of police reforms.

The ref…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage mini-grants are normalizing conversations about mental health in Washtenaw County schools

As the 2020 school year wrapped up, students at Clague Middle School on Ann Arbor’s northeast side were checking out books from a new mental health library—made possible by mini-grant funding from the Washtenaw County Public Saf…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

New cross-sector partnerships—aided by millage funding—are supporting justice-involved youth

After the Washtenaw County Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage passed, a partnership began between Washtenaw County Community Mental Health (WCCMH) and Washtenaw County Children’s Services—a co…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Fostering hope, peer support specialists are helping people on their journey to recovery

There aren’t too many job applications where checking the box for a criminal history or a mental illness or a history of addiction would give you an edge. But for peer-support specialists, it’s a decided advantage. 

Valerie Bass, who has …

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Not just a bed. Millage funds shelters, staff to help residents get and stay healthy

For Avalon Housing, the millage has funded support services at Hickory Way, a residential community that offers easy access to transportation and amenities for those who have experienced chronic homelessness.

Each apartment at Hickory Way is meant…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Breaking the stigma: How the mental health millage is empowering youth to reach out

“I wish parents knew that mental health is real,” says one #wishyouknew social media post beside a portrait of a local teen. Another says, “Don’t talk at me or down to me, talk with me.”

The Wish You Knew campaign, funded by Washtenaw County’s Pu…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

County hospital visits decrease as millage-funded programs ramp up

Recently, Dr. Victor Hong, medical director of psychiatric emergency services (PES) at Michigan Medicine, contacted the millage-funded CARES team at Washtenaw County Community Mental Health. He had been notified that an individual in the community showed …

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage fuels partnerships with community-based organizations, schools, and police

Since the implementation of Washtenaw County’s voter-approved Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage in January of 2019, meaningful partnerships have flourished across the county. These partnerships expand access to mental health and substan…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage-funded CARES team: serving all residents, regardless of insurance status

Mental health care access for everybody–no matter what their insurance status is.

This was an ambitious goal of Washtenaw County’s Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage, which residents passed two-to-one, ensuring that everyone in o…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Independent, reliable cash: Millage allows Washtenaw County to address local needs

When JFK signed the Community Mental Health Act in 1963, community-based mental health and substance use treatment options began to spring up across the U.S. These new programs allowed people with significant mental illnesses and developmental disabilitie…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

The expected–and the unexpected–impact of a room and phone

Across the U.S. nearly 1.4 million people rely on homeless shelters and transitional housing programs each year. During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, health and social service agencies across the nation–some well, and others poorly–employed…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Garret’s Space delivers 20,000 mental health flyers to homes across the county

As suicide rates continue to rise throughout the nation, especially among young people, one local Washtenaw County family is working to help those in need access services.

Suicide rates increased 33 percent nationally from 1999 to 2017, with the sharpest i…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

First year of reentry services grant focuses on new staff, housing supports

In 2019, Washtenaw County received a $1 million, four-year grant from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Administration. The purpose: To address high recidivism rates–the rates of individuals returning to jail after release–among those with mental health and su…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

County jail expands use of medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder

Nationally, about 80 percent of people in jail abuse alcohol or drugs. About half are considered clinically addicted. Oftentimes, substance use plays a direct or indirect role in a person’s jail time–which is why access to treatment is so important for bo…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

WCCMH Black Lives Matter Task Force

On May 25th, 2020, George Floyd’s death at the hands of police led hundreds of thousands of people throughout the nation to join the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. While the BLM movement is broad, it essentially seeks to eradicate systemic racism thro…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

A Q&A with CARES Team Access Supervisor Shannon Ellis

The CARES team is a group of mental health professionals funded by Washtenaw County’s voter-approved Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage on May 1, 2019 when services were expanded to all residents, regardless of insurance status or severi…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

WCCMH launches 24/7 crisis center with millage resources

Washtenaw County residents have long asked for a 24/7 crisis center—a place where individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis can go for help and emotional support. Thanks to the Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage, this vision ha…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage funded “prayer and care” summit: Mental health resources for faith communities

The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Washtenaw County (NAMI WC) has organized a virtual summit for members of the clergy to learn about mental health resources for faith communities. The Prayer and Care summit will be held on Octob…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Washtenaw ahead of the curve in national movement for police reform

George Floyd’s death this spring, at the hands of four Minneapolis police officers, sparked massive protests across the nation for meaningful police reforms to address police brutality toward Black individuals—which has been well-documented in recent year…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage funds Mental Health First Aid train the trainer initiative

This summer, Washtenaw County Community Mental Health put out a call for volunteers. The purpose? To become certified as Mental Health First Aid instructors, who will then share what they’ve learned with others in the community.

Mental He…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

COVID-era telehealth expansion brings both improvements and challenges

The coronavirus pandemic has created hundreds of complicated challenges–from an increased strain on the U.S. Postal System to delays in needed health care services. But the coronavirus pandemic has also spurred solutions, including a dramatic uptick in t…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

In Washtenaw County, millage helps mitigate the impact of COVID-19

From economic strains to a now six-month period of isolation, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to upend daily life. In Washtenaw County, “the unsurprising result,” as Jaishree Drepaul-Bruder reports for Concentrate, is “an uptick in stress, anxiety, depres…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

New website features millage background, data, and accomplishments

Washtenaw County Community Mental Health is pleased to share a new website for information about the county’s eight-year Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage, which will be in effect through 2026.

The millage site feature…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Community Mental Health releases 2019 annual report

Washtenaw County’s Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage is an eight-year, voter-approved homeowner tax that generates resources for mental health and substance use treatment programs that improve health and quality of life across the count…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

For Washtenaw County residents, mental health services are just a phone call away

Thanks to the Washtenaw County Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage, all Washtenaw County residents can get help 24/7 for depression, anxiety, addiction, and more. And receiving aid is as easy as calling 734-544-3050.

As Erin Spanier report…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic

Washtenaw County Community Mental Health is continuing to provide essential services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Our 24/7 CARES line, expanded with funding from the Washtenaw County Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage in 20…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

WCCMH staff join Washtenaw’s Crisis Negotiation Team

Last November, five mental health professionals from Washtenaw County’s Community Mental Health were tapped by the Sheriff’s Office to join Washtenaw County’s Crisis Negotiation Team. 

During the first week of December, the CMH staff attended a on…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage Q&A with Community Corrections Manager Renee Wilson

The Washtenaw County Community Corrections Department, part of the sheriff’s office, provides jail diversion options and assistance for people at all stages of the criminal justice process–from initial detention and court hearings to time spent in jail a…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Washtenaw County prepares to launch LEAD

This January, Washtenaw County and the City of Detroit were among 15 jurisdictions hand picked from regions across the country to participate in the inaugural LEAD National Learning Conference hosted by the U.S. Public Defender Association and the LEAD Na…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

$1 million grant to reduce recidivism, improve community reentry for individuals with MHSUD

Washtenaw County has received a $1 million, four-year grant from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Administration to address high recidivism rates among individuals with mental health and substance use disorders to build on collaborative work between the Washten…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

More SURE Moms, thanks to Washtenaw County voters

With a $90,000 investment from Washtenaw County’s Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage, the SURE Moms program—designed to unite, support, and empower mothers of justice-involved youth—is being extended to more moms across the county.

Under …

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

New partnership with Corner Health provides behavioral health care for teens and young adults

Founded 39 years ago by a group of concerned citizens who wanted to address health disparities among teenage moms, the Corner Health Center in downtown Ypsilanti has grown into a tremendous local resource: a full-service integrated health clinic that addr…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Four local agencies receive millage-funded supportive housing contracts

Four local agencies have been awarded millage contracts to enhance supportive housing for youth and adults with mental health and substance use concerns. 

“One of the key recommendations made by Washtenaw County’s Community Mental Health Advisory …

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Coming soon: Washtenaw County crisis observation and assessment center

In an unassuming brick building just down the street from the Washtenaw County Health Department in Ypsilanti a new community resource is in the final stages of development. It’s an observation and assessment center for individuals in crisis–one that com…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage Q&A with Washtenaw County Commissioner Andy LaBarre

In 2017, Washtenaw County Commissioner Andy LaBarre was instrumental in the development and passage of the county’s Public Safety and Mental Health Preservation Millage, which currently provides about $16 million per year. Thirty-eight percent o…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

WISD receives funds for youth mental health programming

A two-year Public Safety and Mental Health Millage grant of $107,000 has been awarded to the Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD) for mental health and anti-stigma activities. In year one, WISD will use roughly half of these resources to provide …

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

#wishyouknew mental health campaign launches across the county

The #wishyouknew youth mental health campaign officially kicked off on Monday, November 25, with artwork by local artist Lauren Mills, quotes from outreach with hundreds of Washtenaw County youth and adults, and a short video featuring Alisha Spencer, a l…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Washtenaw and Detroit to participate in national LEAD training institute

Washtenaw County and Detroit are the first Michigan jurisdictions to be chosen to participate in the national Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) training institute in Seattle, WA.

Five Washtenaw County diversion leaders–from the Washtenaw County Sh…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Washtenaw County organizations invited to apply for millage-funded supportive housing grants

This spring, Washtenaw County Community Mental Health asked the Washtenaw Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED) to develop a request for proposals process designed to increase supportive housing services across Washtenaw County. We are pleas…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

NAMI Washtenaw receives millage contract for outreach in underserved communities

A Public Safety and Mental Health Millage Contract of $158,000 has been awarded to NAMI Washtenaw County (NAMI WC) to design and implement a mental health education and outreach program for youth and families in the under-served communities of Ypsilanti, …

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

High schools invited to apply for anti-stigma campaign grants

This August, the Millage Advisory Committee approved a funding application from the Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD) to support anti-stigma campaign activities at all interested Washtenaw County high schools.

The campaigns will focus on positi…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Help design an anti-stigma campaign for Washtenaw youth

In our last millage communication, WCCMH introduced readers to planned anti-stigma campaign efforts that are being led, through a millage-funded contract, by the Washtenaw County Health Department. The first two years of this anti-stigma work will focus o…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage-funded therapeutic groups forming

Thanks to millage funding, our CARES team staff members are offering four new group therapy options for Washtenaw County residents. These groups are for everyone in the community–regardless of insurance or severity of need. Additional groups will be adde…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage funds rural service delivery expansion

As of July 1, the CARES team had received 250 outpatient service referrals from Ypsilanti (115), Ann Arbor (88), Saline (11), Dexter (6), Whitmore Lake (5), Chelsea (3), and Milan (3).

While most of the referrals are currently coming from the county’s urba…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Underfunding and deficit reduction

Due to underfunding by the state and federal government of Michigan’s community mental health system—behavioral health services for low-income individuals and those with severe and persistent mental illnesses, emotional disturbances, and developmental dis…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Substance use disorder systems transformation kicks off 100-day challenge

Since November 2018, dozens of representatives from Washtenaw-area organizations–including one-dozen staff members from Washtenaw County Community Mental Health–have been participating in a substance use disorder system transformation process hosted by …

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Introducing the millage advisory committee

In the spring of 2019, Washtenaw County Community Mental Health established a Millage Advisory Committee (MAC) to provide strategic oversight on Washtenaw County’s Public Safety and Mental Health Millage activities and investments. The 13-member…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage-funded staff work to meet countywide demand

A countywide mental health and substance use disorder service expansion–particularly for historically underserved populations across Washtenaw–has been a key priority for millage investments from the start.

As such, when millage funds first became availa…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Millage will allow WCCMH to train trainers in mental health first aid

While many of us know how to administer first aid for health conditions, few of us are trained to provide similar help for those experiencing a mental health or substance use related crisis. To build community capacity, WCCMH regularly offers Mental Healt…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Provide input on a millage-funded countywide anti-stigma campaign

Washtenaw County Community Mental Health is working with the Washtenaw County Health Department to develop and launch a county-wide campaign to reduce stigma around mental health and addiction. 

Health department staff will begin their work with a…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Transforming Washtenaw’s substance use disorder system

About a dozen Washtenaw County Community Mental Health staff members have been actively participating in a series of local meetings, sponsored by the Washtenaw Health Initiative, that are designed to develop a collaborative action plan to address substanc…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Planning juvenile justice diversion activities

Research from the National Center for Youth Opportunity and Justice (NCYOJ) shows that behavioral health and trauma conditions are consistently higher among youth in the juvenile justice system when compared with the general adolescent population.

Washtena…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Announcing millage-funded countywide service expansion

On May 1, Washtenaw County Community Mental Health (WCCMH) will extend services and service-navigation assistance to all county residents who are unable to secure community-based mental health and substance use services, regardless of their insurance type…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Public safety accomplishments and plans for future millage investments

Washtenaw County Community Mental Health works closely with the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office to improve services for residents with mental health and substance use disorders who come into contact with law enforcement and the corrections system.

Their …

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Community Mental Health – Millage News

Plans for initial millage investments

At their October 3 meeting, Washtenaw County Commissioners approved 11 recommendations from the Community Mental Health Advisory Council (CMHAC) regarding early priorities for the county’s mental health millage investments.

Washtenaw County Community Menta…

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Community Mental Health – Millage News