Vernon County staff say Northwest Connections crisis contract reduced costly hospital stays; county paid about $119,000 last year

Vernon County Human Services staff reported that the county’s contract with Northwest Connections, a 24-hour telephone and mobile mental-health crisis provider, handled 223 calls from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31 and helped reduce inpatient emergency detentions that can cost the county more than $2,000 per day.

The department told the committee that Northwest Connections provided 223 total calls in the year, 53 assessments and six mobile contacts. Of the telephone calls, 24 concerned minors and 182 concerned adults; 28 calls involved substance abuse and two were dementia-related, staff said.

Why it matters: county staff said using Northwest Connections generally costs the county less than inpatient hospital care. A regular inpatient stay at one regional facility was listed as $1,596 per day; the county reported an add-on for the first three days of an emergency detention of $373, bringing the first days’ cost to roughly $2,000 per patient. By contrast, the county paid about $119,000 to Northwest Connections in 2024 and has a $127,000 contract budgeted for 2025, staff said.

Human Services staff said the program’s mobile response operates evenings into the night — currently about 4:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. in Vernon County — and must provide at least eight hours of mobile availability. Mobile responders work with law enforcement when dispatched, and licensed clinicians provide clinical consultation for telephone and mobile contacts.

“The idea is that the first call should always go to Northwest Connections in a crisis,” Human Services staff said during the meeting. “They’re going to do the assessment, and we’re hoping that will reduce the number of unnecessary emergency detentions and reduce cost and trauma for the person in crisis.”

County statistics presented to the committee show a decline in emergency detentions since contracting with Northwest Connections. For the years presented, staff reported 31 emergency detentions in 2022, 26 in 2023 and 22 in 2024 (the 2024 figure excludes five cases labeled as “return to more restrictive” rather than new detentions). Staff said some emergency detentions still require placement at high-cost inpatient hospitals when local beds are full or the individual’s condition meets that facility’s admission criteria.

County officials also outlined how the contract pricing works: the county pays a daily availability fee for mobile coverage and an additional surcharge when a mobile team actually responds. Staff characterized the contract figure as an allowance because exact mobile-response usage varies year to year.

Staff noted the program began serving counties in October 2023 and now covers multiple western Wisconsin counties. Committee members asked about dispatch processes and whether police and other first responders are being directed to call Northwest Connections first; staff said they are working on training and community outreach so first calls go to the crisis line rather than dispatching law enforcement in situations that can be handled by the crisis team.

County staff emphasized that the crisis service both reduces expensive institutional care and provides a less-traumatic intervention for people in crisis.

Ending: The committee heard the report but did not take a separate formal vote on Northwest Connections during the meeting.