MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — A local hospital system is addressing a growing need impacting the Milwaukee area: mental health.
Brian Brawner says his journey to getting to a healthy place with his depression wasn’t easy.
“I just got tired of feeling like everybody else must have got a different playbook in life, and that they were having an easy time and life was great, and that something just couldn't have possibly been right with mine,” said Brawner.
He credits the care he’s received from Ascension Columbia St. Mary's behavioral health team with changing his life.
Watch: Ascension Wisconsin addresses mental health crisis through accessible care
“It has been wonderful. I mean, like I said, it goes far beyond just managing a mental illness with medications,” said Brawner.
Brawner’s counselor Patrick Schultz says their focus is ensuring all Milwaukeeans have access to quality care.
“We really strive to make care accessible to everyone and help them be open to their journey and creating an environment where they can basically find their voice,” said Schultz.
Recently, the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership identified mental health as the top issue in Milwaukee County, with one in four adults navigating a diagnosis.
Schultz says Ascension took that challenge head-on by addressing the price of treatment, which can often discourage people from seeking help.
“We're one of the few hospital systems in the area that take both Medicare and Medicaid for day treatment services," said Patrick Schultz, Counselor, Ascension Wisconsin.
As Brawner continues to attend regular sessions, he hopes others find the courage to ask for support.
“I’m not necessarily even saying I'm comfortable discussing it in a public forum, but if one person out there is more willing to come and take a look at the Ascension program, and gets help, then it was worth it,” said Brawner.
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