FOND DU LAC, Wis. (WBAY) – Fond du Lac County is considering closing its inpatient mental health facility.
The acute unit is one of five county inpatient facilities in the state. Rising operating costs are the main reason the county is considering the closure.
Geri Vanevenhoven, the county’s director of human services, said the county has had internal discussions about closing the acute unit for several years as they are not filling enough beds to keep up with increasing costs.
A public hearing on the issue was held Tuesday night. All but one person who spoke at the hearing were against the closure of the facility. Speakers expressed the importance of mental health resources and argued that the consideration feels rushed.
Kim Wendt, who works in the acute unit, spoke to the county’s human services board about the impact the facility has on those in need.
“That unit means the world to me, I don’t want to see something happen to it just because we’re just talking about money, we’re talking about people’s lives, and I think that’s more important because can you really put a price on people’s lives,” Wendt said.
Vanevenhoven said the county does not expect to save money right away because it would still have to pay for crisis services and hospital care under other coverage options, but the county could save money over time if the closure is approved.
She said she believes the county’s response to mental health emergencies would be improved.
“Crisis services are supposed to help reduce hospitalizations, because we can work with the individual where they’re at, we can build a safety plan, and we can build that system around them right there in their community, but we know there will always be a need for inpatient hospitalizations, and again, there’s a cost to that,” Vanevenhoven said.
The human services board plans to discuss whether to pass a recommendation onto the county board at a meeting next Monday.
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