Partnership termination impacts mental health services in Manitowoc County
MANITOWOC COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) – A split between a local nonprofit and a county’s human services department will greatly impact mental health services in Manitowoc County.
The Production Farm in rural Manitowoc County posted on its Facebook page that it will suspend its behavioral and mental health skill-building services with Manitowoc County comprehensive community services.
The partnership ends on Tuesday.
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“Unfortunately, there have been roadblocks and barriers that have been put up that are out of our control and has made us have to make an incredibly difficult decision,” said Production Farm president and CEO Wyatt Kuether.
Kuether said the end of the partnership means that there’s going to be a good amount of their (client) population that they aren’t going to be able to serve. He wouldn’t elaborate on the “roadblocks and barriers” that caused the organization to terminate the partnerships but said the decision was excruciating to make.
“There’s a group of people out there who we have worked with so long, who we love with everything that we are to have to make a decision like this is incredibly difficult,” said Kuether.
Local 5 News made multiple attempts to reach out to Manitowoc County human services officials to get their side of the story. They never got back to us.
“Everything we do is for these kids and for these families,” said Kuether. “Everybody who works here that’s why they wake up every day to make sure we can give all the support we can.”
The Production Farm provides behavioral and mental health services to youth in the area through the use of life skills, art, and music therapy among many other programs.
They also have a food pantry, hygiene closet, clothes for those who need them, and provide transportation for their clients.
“We look at all the barriers and do whatever we can to remove as many as possible,” said Kuether. “Feeling like you get to do it, not that you have to do it (referring to their approach to therapy). It should feel fun and it should be focusing on an individual celebrating themselves and really moving themselves into a place that can be very successful.”
Kuether said that even with the termination of the partnership with the county, they’ll continue to work with local school districts to provide services to kids who need it.
