MILWAUKEE, WI – After a violent start to the year, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowleyalongside the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services, will join Dr. Ramel Kweku Smith, PHD, LP tomorrow, Thursday, March 10, at 10 a.m. at Wisconsin Black Historical Museum for a discussion on normalizing conversations around mental wellness.
The event is the county executive’s first Community Health and Healing Series which will focus on connecting residents to mental health resources and breaking down barriers to services. The series will visit communities and neighborhoods deeply affected by the pandemic and increased violence.
“This is a difficult time for our communities across the county. There are people in our neighborhoods who have unmet mental health and behavioral health needs – many of which have been ignored for generations. We need to heal our community and move forward with a plan to meet the needs of our most vulnerable residents,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “The violence on our streets, the increase in overdose deaths and the overall impact on residents’ quality of life are a direct result of their needs not being met. I have spent my life fighting for resources, fighting for fairness, and fighting for our most needy neighborhoods. The Health and Healing series brings the message and services directly to the doorstep of the community. We focus on engaging some of the most vulnerable residents in a discussion about what they need to live a full and successful life. »
According to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, there were 637 drug-related deaths in 2021, an increase of more than 200 deaths from overall drug-related death data from 2018. Additionally, After suffering 25 homicides in January alone, the Medical Examiner’s Office warned that Milwaukee County is on course to record more than 300 homicides for the year if trends continue.
Avoiding such a scenario is a top priority for the Crowley County Executive and its administration leaders. The first Community Health & Healing event, taking place in the Park West neighborhood of Milwaukee in the 53206 ZIP code, will include an audience of community behavioral health professionals and will be broadcast live on the Milwaukee County Executive. Youtube channel and on Facebook.
“We support the county’s vision to achieve racial equity and become the healthiest county in Wisconsin by focusing on improving individual and community health. A key strategy to achieve this goal is to address the root causes through prevention,” said Shakita LaGrant-McClain, director of the Department of Health and Human Services. “We know that if we invest in prevention upstream, we can prevent problems downstream later.”
The next event in the series will be a community reception focusing on suicide prevention and resource connections. The event will take place on Wednesday, March 30and from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Milwaukee County Southern Access Clinic located at 1645 W. National Avenue, Milwaukee, in the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center building. The Crowley County Executive, City of Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention (OVP), community organizations and people with lived experience will discuss the critical issue facing our community, death by suicide, warning signs and the connection of friends and loved ones to resources.
Information about the Milwaukee County Health and Healing Series can be found at county.milwaukee.gov/HealthAndHealingSeries.
Comments are closed.