A team from Wisconsin, led by Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Annette Kingsland Ziegler and Director of State Courts Hon. Randy R. Koschnick, discuss issues related to mental health and the courts at a summit last month in Vermont.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Annette Kingsland Ziegler and Director of State Courts Hon. Randy R. Koschnick, led a team of representatives from Wisconsin to a summit on mental health and the courts in Burlington, Vermont. The event, held May 25-27, was organized by the National Center for State Courts in support of the National Judicial Task Force to Examine State Courts’ Response to Mental Illness.
The Wisconsin team was joined by groups of judges, state court administrators, mental health professionals, and state agency staff from six other states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont).
The Wisconsin team also included Mary Kay Battaglia, Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Wisconsin; Emilie Smilie, Program Director with NAMI Wisconsin; Diane Cable, Director of the Eau Claire County Department of Human Services; Lisa Olson, Medicaid Director, Wisconsin Department of Health Services; Bob Rohret, Director of St. Croix County Department of Health and Human Services; Greg Van Rybroek, Institution Director, Mendota Mental Health Institute; Police Chief Gordon Young from the River Falls Police Department.
Other Wisconsin team members from the courts included Judge Scott Horne, La Crosse County Circuit Court; Diane Fremgen, Deputy Director for Court Operations; and Ann Olson, Statewide Operations Supervisor in the Office of Court Operations.
Over the course of the two-day summit, attendees heard presentations and panel discussions by judges and subject-matter experts from around the country who have successfully implemented programs to better address how courts interact with individuals with mental health issues. Speakers and participants at the summit shared their challenges to system-level reform and outlined the approaches and strategies they are using to respond to those with mental illness who are court system-involved. In addition to the presentations and panel discussions, each team participated in several work sessions to develop a state-level action plan to identify next steps for addressing mental health challenges.
Wisconsin team members will continue the work begun during the summit by engaging additional justice partners and continuing to facilitate conversations around this important topic and its impact in Wisconsin.
For more information or to get involved in this project, please contact diane.fremgen@wicourts.gov