Mental health walk-in care is now available at the Children’s Wisconsin Kenosha Clinic. It’s the second such facility in Southeast Wisconsin alongside the Craig Yabuki Mental Health Walk-In Clinic located on the Milwaukee campus that opened in the spring of 2022.
Both clinics are staffed by licensed therapists, social workers, and clinic assistants. Children and teens ages 5-18 can access care immediately, with no appointment or referral required.
“We know kids and families need more support and access to mental health services,” said Amy Herbst, MSSW, APSW, vice president of mental and behavioral health at Children’s Wisconsin. “Think of these walk-in clinics as ‘urgent care’ for mental health. We don’t want kids and parents to hesitate about coming to these clinics. They know when their children are struggling and need immediate support. Whether they have an established therapist or have never seen a mental health professional, these clinics will provide immediate support.”
Herbst tells Wisconsin’s Morning News the new center will serve to further the mission of Governor Tony Evers, who in 2023 declared that year the “Year of Mental Health” in his State of the State address.
“The walk-in clinics are really helping families to see that mental health IS health” says Herbst. “You would access urgent care for your child if they had an earache or sore throat, and it’s the same thing. It’s changing how families think about mental health and urgent mental health just like they think about urgent physical health.”
The two clinics aim to fill a gap in care for kids experiencing a mental health crisis. According to the 2023 annual report by the Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health, 1 in 10 Wisconsin teenagers say they attempted suicide, and half of all kids have been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, or behavioral problems. At the same time, half of Wisconsin youth report difficulty obtaining mental health services.
“We can’t adequately express our gratitude to the people at Kohl’s who helped make this clinic possible,” said Meg Brzyski Nelson, president of the Children’s Wisconsin Foundation. “The need for mental health services for Wisconsin’s children is urgently high, and Kohl’s was the first and continues to be one of our most dedicated supporters of this work. Children’s Wisconsin has made a commitment to create the best mental health system possible for our kids, but we simply wouldn’t be able to do it without the philanthropic support of generous individuals and organizations.”
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