The Mental Health Task Force of Polk County (MHTF) works to effectively address our community’s mental health challenges. We began in 2008 as a grassroots coalition of individuals and agencies coming together to discuss mental health needs in Polk County, Wisconsin. The group agreed there were barriers of stigma and awareness of mental health problems on the part of the residents, and problems with coordination, availability, and accessibility on the part of the mental health service providers. After numerous meetings, it was clear that ongoing local commitment to the issue of mental health was essential. In October 2011, the MHTF was awarded 501(c)(3) status as a formal nonprofit organization.
Since launching, the MHTF has become an important pillar of the mental health network in Polk County, designing and implementing innovative solutions that serve the community’s needs and fill gaps where they are identified. Our work has spanned from direct service through mental health screening and early childhood programs to education and awareness-building through suicide prevention, mental health peer-to-peer support, parenting, childhood trauma, and resilience trainings to prevention and community support through postvention planning, stigma reduction campaigns, and our efforts to ensure equitable access to mental health services for all residents. These programs and initiatives have created lasting, institutional change in Polk County, leading to improved collaboration among service providers, enhanced crisis response systems, and increased community engagement in mental health advocacy.