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Walworth County presents behavioral health annual report; staff cite crisis response, program growth and testimonials
Summary
The county’s behavioral health manager described a continuum of services — crisis response, outpatient care, comprehensive community services (CCS), community support program (CSP) and case management — presented utilization figures for 2024 and 2025, and introduced consumer testimonials about program impact.
Amy Hart, behavioral health division manager, told the Health and Human Services Board on July 16 that the division serves more than 1,000 Walworth County residents across a continuum of care that ranges from crisis services to long‑term community supports.
Hart gave a data‑driven overview: in 2024 crisis services logged more than 10,000 contacts, including 925 risk assessments; about 14% of those risk assessments resulted in inpatient admissions, totaling about 130 admissions and 1,245 hospital days, she said. Outpatient services completed roughly 506 new assessments in 2024 and about 3,700 individual sessions, with 265 family sessions. The division recently hired a full‑time advanced practice nurse prescriber to restore full medication‑management capacity, Hart said.
Program counts presented to the board included about 1,010 residents served overall (149 children, 762 adults ages 20–64 and 99 adults over 64); 140 consumers in Comprehensive Community Services (CCS) — 73 adults and 67 children — and 49 consumers in the Community Support Program (CSP) with 82 people served in 2024. Hart said staff transitioned about 30 CSP consumers into CCS to provide a broader set of services available under CCS.
Hart and staff emphasized crisis services as an entry point: “There’s no wrong door when you come into Health and Human Services,” she said, and described crisis case management for 156 people, 76 of whom are on court‑ordered commitments; six settlement agreements were noted. She said collaborative work with law enforcement, the county jail and community partners helps maintain continuity of care when people move between settings.
The presentation included consumer testimonials and partner remarks collected by staff. One consumer credited a case manager with medication delivery, grocery assistance and weekly contact; another described moving from a group home to a supported apartment with case‑manager support and group activities. Staff and consumers described Casa Mia, a community partner that operates a community‑based residential facility and supported apartments, and Crystal Flood of Casa Mia appeared in the presentation.
Hart said the division’s service model emphasizes early intervention for youth, flexible program assignment (including dual enrollment of case managers to allow seamless movement between CCS and CSP), and leaning on community partners for housing and employment supports. She described several examples where intensive community services averted repeated hospitalizations and allowed transitions to supported apartments or independent living.
Why this matters: the report documents local demand for mental‑health and substance‑use services, staff capacity and program shifts that change how services are delivered and billed. Board members were given program outcomes and told the division is focused on maintaining service levels while managing staffing and budget pressures.
Board action: the presentation was received; staff asked board members to note the range of services and future staffing needs when discussing the 2026 budget.
