Assessment Center - Access Services

Mental Health Services

Racine County Human Services Department provides services in the community for adults with severe and persistent forms of mental illness. This may include schizophrenia, bipolar disease, and major depression.  The goal of the services is to support adults in the community and reduce the need for hospitalization.  Racine County also provides a number of services for persons in crisis.

Counseling

The Human Services Department provides funding for persons to attend counseling and appointments with a psychiatrist for medication.  This funding is only for persons who have no other form of insurance and have a previously diagnosed mental illness.

Community Support Program

A Community Support Program or CSP is a coordinated care and treatment program which provides a range of treatment, rehabilitation, and support services through an identified treatment program and staff to ensure ongoing therapeutic involvement, individualized treatment, rehabilitation, and support services in the community for persons with severe and persistent mental illness.

In Racine County, CSP programs support people with mental illness in their homes.  Staff spend a great deal of time with people, helping them with daily activities, teaching skills, and assisting them with decisions.  There are also opportunities for recreation and socializing. Staff make sure people take their prescribed medications, pay their bills, and be as independent as possible.

Vocational Services

Racine County funds a vocational and day service program at the Racine Clubhouse (Harbor House). This program provides structure and skill training within their facility.  When the person is ready and interested, volunteer jobs and/or paid job placement occurs.  Persons interested in attending college or technical school are also supported.  Some recreational opportunities are also available through the program.

Crisis Services

The Human Services Department funds a Crisis Center for adults experiencing a mental health crisis situation. The SOS House offers temporary shelter, talking through the situation, possible remedies, and referrals to appropriate services.  The center also operates a 24 hour phone line.

Court Intervention Services

At times, an adult may need court intervention in order to receive needed services.  This occurs most often when the adult with the disability does not see the need for treatment, while family and friends are concerned. Wisconsin State Law provides for civil commitment of a person.  This procedure allows a court to order that the person with the disability take medications, attend counseling, or even enter a psychiatric inpatient center.

The required criteria to determine the need for commitment is that a person must be:

• Mentally ill or developmentally disabled,
• “A proper subject for treatment”, and
• Dangerous to themselves or others.

Dangerous to themselves includes self neglect (not providing themselves with proper shelter, medical care, nourishment, etc), or impaired judgment. This may also include evidence of recent threats or attempts at suicide or serious bodily harm.

A “proper subject for treatment” means that the person can be proven to be treatable—that the symptoms could be improved or controlled.

Civil commitments can be started in three ways:

• By a law enforcement officer,
• Three adults, at least one of which has first knowledge of the person to be committed,
• Or by a medical professional in a psychiatric hospital where the person is already receiving voluntary treatment.

For more information, contact Information and Assistance at 638-6741.

Inpatient Treatment

At times, a person’s mental illness will become so severe that the person may become a danger to themselves or other people.  At that point, the person may be hospitalized in a local psychiatric unit of a hospital or at a state run institution.  Racine County staff will assist in making the determination of the need for inpatient care, and will fund those short stays when there is no insurance coverage.

Medication

In some limited circumstances, psychotropic medications may be purchased by the Human Services Department for persons with a diagnosed severe and persistent mental illness. The individual must not have private insurance, Medicaid coverage, or personal funds available to purchase the required psychotropic medication.

Three-Party Commitment Petition

You have made a very difficult and serious decision to seek information on a civil commitment.  Wisconsin is a state of least restrictive treatment, meaning a person seeking treatment for mental health, developmental disabilities, drug dependency or alcoholism has the right to pursue treatment in the least restrictive environment appropriate for their needs. 

If a person is willing to seek help on a voluntary basis, there is no need to pursue a Three-Party Petition.  You may contact Information & Assistance at 638-6321 to inquire about treatment options or, if the person seeking services is insured, call the phone number on the back of their insurance card for treatment referrals. 

Since Wisconsin is a least restrictive state, the law governing our mental health system (Chapter 51) emphasizes protecting individual rights and liberties.  The laws favor voluntary over involuntary treatment.  However, there are three ways in which to force involuntary treatment in the State of Wisconsin:

• Emergency Detention
• Director’s Petition (also known as Director’s Hold)
• Three-Party Petition

Emergency Detentions - (51.15, WI STATS)

These are initiated when an individual is presently a danger to themselves or others.  The detention is obtained by contacting law enforcement.  

Director’s Petitions (or “Director’s Hold”) - (51.10(5)(c) and 51.15 (10), WI STATS)

These are used only by psychiatrists when a person who has been seeking services voluntarily and then decides that they want to leave the psychiatric unit and the psychiatrist does not believe that is appropriate for the person.  The psychiatrist must be able to state that the person will be dangerous (to self and/or others) if allowed to leave the hospital.

Three-Party Petitions - (51.20 (1), WI STATS)

These actions occur if there are recent dangerous conducts/behaviors present AND one or more of the following disabilities exists:  mental illness, drug dependency and/or developmental disabilities.

To substantiate mental illness, drug dependency or developmental disability, you will need to provide information on the current physician, diagnoses, medications and dates of last treatment.  The person also must be a proper subject for treatment.

Dangerous conduct/behavior is defined as specific acts, attempts or threats which constitute a substantial risk of physical harm to self and/or others, according to the following standards:

1. Danger to oneself (for ex., suicidal thoughts/actions)
2. Danger to others (for ex., homicidal thoughts/actions)
3. Impaired judgment in that the person is not able to make decisions that are appropriate and potentially dangerous (for ex., believing that they possess super powers and that they can fly if they jump off a building)
4. Behavior indicating the person can’t take care of themselves or meet their own basic needs(for ex., person refuses to eat or does not dress appropriately for the weather conditions) so that substantial probability exists that death, serious physical injury, debilitation or disease will imminently ensue unless the person receives prompt adequate treatment.
5. Fifth Standard – This standard is different from the other involuntary civil commitment statutes because it requires a finding that the person suffering from a mental illness is in need of treatment AND there must be a finding that the person is incompetent to refuse medication.  This is why the Fifth Standard is also referred to as the “need for treatment” alternative to the other four standards.  The Fifth Standard also does not require the finding of dangerousness to be immediate or overt, as it is with the first four standards.

Three-Party Petitions for Alcoholism also have a different standard.  A petition may be filed if the person’s dependence on alcohol substantially impairs or endangers the person’s health AND their social or economic functioning is substantially disrupted.  Please remember that simply being an alcoholic is not automatic grounds for a petition.  There are many people who are alcoholics and still able to function well enough in their lives.  In this context, substantially means a severe degree of impairment, endangerment or disruption.

This process may take time.  Depending upon several factors and the evidence presented, some petitions could take weeks to bring to court.  During this period of time, an emergency detention can be started, if necessary.  If the emergency detention process is started, the three-party petition will be put “on hold.” 

If you believe that you have the necessary information to meet the standards for a three-party petition (as outlined above), you may contact the Information & Assistance unit of the Racine County Human Services Department at 262-638-6321 to start the referral process.  Please understand that, in addition to meeting the standards, the following criteria must all be met: 

• There are three (3) people, including yourself, with at least one person with first-hand knowledge of the person’s situation
• All three persons are willing to sign a petition
• All three persons are willing to testify in court

Please review the Frequently Asked Questions section of this website for more information.