VIROQUA, Wis. – On Friday, Feb 9, Wisconsin’s Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez made a stop in Viroqua to meet with mental health professionals and discuss the current state of mental health care, and unmet needs in rural Wisconsin.
Susan Townsley, Clinic Director with Stonehouse Counseling said they were “honored to have her visit our office.” Rodriguez met with two of Stonehouse’s clinicians, Zoe Ellerbusch and Terra Knoble. The Stonehouse staff discussed the community needs that they see and where these needs are unmet.
Townsley said issues discussed with the Lt. Governor included the prevalence of substance use disorder, domestic violence, housing insecurity, food insecurity, child abuse/neglect and generational trauma. The unmet needs that were highlighted for the Lt. Governor were the lack of rehabilitation facilities, shelters, and transitional housing. They also discussed the need for Medicaid expansion. Townsley said rural areas face a challenge of getting treatment for individuals and families because many treatment facilities will not accept Medicaid.
Townsley said the group also talked about the need for therapists in training to be covered by commercial insurers and not just medicaid, so they are eligible to help all clients. Other topics raised included more funding for group work for all ages and the need to have more screenings offered in schools and in health care facilities so that we can catch abuse, neglect and violence early in a child’s life. The therapists emphasized the need for early intervention in order to make a difference in the life of a child. Townsley said the Lt. Governor was aware of the Adverse Childhood Experiences study, and agreed that early intervention is crucial.
Townsley and Stonehouse Counseling were also instrumental in helping secure funding for and runinng the Help End Abuse Response Team (HEART) program in Vernon County, along with the Family and Chidrens Center, and Vernon County Law Enforcement. The HEART program includes a Domestic Violence Volunteer Community Response Team, a group of trained volunteers who take turns being on call to accompany local law enforcement on domestic violence calls to offer services to the victim at the scene. You can read out previous story about the HEART program here.
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