Open Letter Regarding the Eau Claire County Mental Health Services Budget
Dear Eau Claire County Board,
“We value, respect, and listen to both our internal and external customers. We take responsibility in our words and in our actions to create a positive experience.”
These are the words you have listed on your website under “Our Core Behaviors”.
I assume, and hope, that your largest customer to serve is the people of Eau Claire county.
You’re purporting to listen and yet, you’re talking about cutting much-needed support services that directly speak to what area residents have expressed a deep need for.
In the 2021 Eau Claire County Community Health Assessment, the data showed that “Those health areas identified most frequently as a “major” concern by survey takers included Mental Health, Drug Use, and Alcohol Misuse, followed by Obesity and Communicable Disease Prevention and Control.” 47% of respondents felt that mental health was a major problem in our community.
In that same survey, members of our community identified what they felt were the reasons behind the mental health struggles. From the chart below which is taken directly from that survey, you’ll see that answers include “people are not comfortable seeking help”, struggles with “early access” to treatment and support, and affordability.
Source: 2021 Eau Claire County Community Health Assessment, Produced by the Community Health Assessment Planning Partnership Committee.
According to Yahoo! News, you’re considering the following amendments:
Eliminating 4.5 new FTE in Department Human Services Crisis Program
Eliminating FTE positions in DHS so there is a levy net savings of $250,000
Eliminating DHS contracted services totaling $110,000 in expenditure savings
Eliminating the creation of a culture and relationships coordinator and using the $95,300 in the facilities department to fund an $86,000 circuit court door lock project
Installing a cyber security specialist with a fiscal impact of $114,154
In short, you’re chipping away at the very services that are tackling what residents consider some of the biggest issues our county faces and then handing the money to other things that will do nothing for the cause.
Largely my question is - How Dare You?
Is everything about services like crisis support and CCS perfect?
No.
But the answer certainly isn’t LESS funding.
The answer is likely more funding and bringing more voices to the table.
The latter won’t happen without the former because who is going to facilitate these conversations without staff with the capacity to do so?
You’re removing funding and asking those who are in the weeds, doing the work to help our county’s most vulnerable residents to do more with less.
This will likely force residents who are struggling to wait longer to receive care which will result in them needing higher levels of care and more comprehensive services. If you want to save money, focus on prevention and supporting those who are actually doing the work and stop cutting the legs out from under the agencies actually supporting our residents - some of which are actually medicare funded and bring revenue to the county.
I can promise you that the people who are going to help the citizens of Eau Claire County and make a difference in the key areas identified as county resident concerns aren’t carrying guns, they’re not sitting on boards somewhere with a pen and a vote that can destroy lives, and they’re not walking around with bags of money from all they’re taking home.
They’re literally saving lives that would be lost to overdose and suicide.
They’re holding someone’s hand during the hardest moments of their lives.
They’re providing education and preventing further issues down the road.
They are, in a very real way, changing the lives of our neighbors, students, caregivers, and friends.
And their fate is sitting on a chopping block while you sit there sharpening the axe and talking about numbers.
It is incredible to me that it’s even a consideration, that this conversation is even happening.
I am sure there are savings to be had elsewhere. There must be vanity projects that could be funded from some other source that do nothing to make Eau Claire a truely caring and healthy place to live.
So listen. Listen to the data that says these programs are necessary. Listen to the citizens who have shared their points of view and opinions on a survey you asked them to fill out. Listen to the pleas of those impacted by your decisions.
And listen to the distinct sound of silence when you ask what additional funding for police, door locks, and cybersecurity will do to address residents’ key concern - Mental Health.
Listen. Like you say is a core behavior.
And then ACT.
Act like you hear what they’re asking you. Act like you care about every single person in this county regardless of how much money they have or clout they can throw around.
Act like you care. And decide like you do.
Renee Sommer
At The Roots LLC
