MADISON (NBC 26) — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is marking May as Mental Health Awareness Month, highlighting his administration’s efforts to address the mental health crisis and expand access to quality, affordable mental healthcare across the state.
In a weekly radio address, Evers pointed to children’s mental health as a top concern.
“From struggles at home to cyberbullying and what they see on the news, our kids are struggling perhaps now more than ever,” Evers said.
Evers declared 2023 the Year of Mental Health during his State of the State address, calling mental and behavioral health a “burgeoning crisis” affecting Wisconsin’s kids, families, and workforce.
The bipartisan 2025-27 Biennial Budget, signed by Evers last July, included $30 million to continue providing comprehensive school-based mental health services statewide, modeled on the governor’s “Get Kids Ahead” initiative. The budget also included $7 million to support 24/7 virtual telehealth mental health services for students across University of Wisconsin System campuses and $200,000 to support farmers and their families’ mental health.
Last month, Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced the release of a statewide Mental Health Action Plan developed by the governor’s Interagency Council on Mental Health, which Evers created in 2024. The plan outlines how the state government can continue to better support mental health in Wisconsin in the years ahead.
“This plan offers a roadmap to help us address the root causes of mental health crises, increase awareness and reduce the stigma around mental health, and build on our work over the past seven years to expand access to mental health services statewide,” Evers said.
Evers also pointed to federal-level uncertainty as a reason to strengthen state-level mental health infrastructure.
“Especially as we see chaos at the federal level that threatens to gut millions of dollars for mental and behavioral health services, public health, emergency services, and more, it’s more important than ever that we do this work here in Wisconsin,” Evers said.
Anyone experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at any hour. The service is free and confidential. Additional mental health resources are available on the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website. If you or someone you know is in imminent danger or experiencing a medical emergency, call 911.
This story has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.