ADMIRE (ADvocates for Mental Illness treatment REform) Greater Milwaukee Area
We are a growing group of family members of loved ones with serious mental illness(SMI) who are advocating for change in the Milwaukee County area, the state of Wisconsin, and the USA.




Reforms at the State (Wisconsin) Level
Amend the Chapter 51 Involuntary Commitment standard for being able to get care from "danger to self or others" to "in severe psychosis and in need of immediate treatment." It is not possible to predict whether a person will harm themselves or others while in severe psychosis. Possible changes to the Chapter 51 state statutes.
Fund the Community Support Program (CSP) by matching the federal Medicaid funding, which will reduce hospitalizations and criminal justice involvement by providing support to those with serious mental illness.
Provide funding to keep the 988 Crisis Line going.
Allow Psychiatric Advanced Directives (PADS), or safety plans so people can let their families know their wishes before they become psychotic and unable to make coherent decisions.
Fund mental health and substance abuse treatment courts, which will reduce the costs of incarceration and recidivism.
2025 Senate Bills Related to Mental Health
SB106
Relating to: psychiatric residential treatment facilities, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, and granting rule-making authority.
Joint Legislative CouncilS-Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families
SB107
Relating to: consent to mental health treatment by minors who are age 14 or older.
Joint Legislative CouncilS-Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families
SB108
Relating to: sharing minors’ safety plans.
Joint Legislative CouncilS-Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families
SB109
Relating to: clinician initiation of emergency detention of a minor and providing a penalty.
Joint Legislative CouncilS-Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families
SB110
Relating to: authorizing youth behavioral health program under the Medical Assistance program and granting rule-making authority.
Joint Legislative CouncilS-Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families
SB111
Relating to: transportation of minors for emergency detention.
Joint Legislative CouncilS-Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families
SB131
Relating to: calculation of miles for purposes of relocation of a child 100 miles or more from the other parent in an action affecting the family.
Senator JacqueS-Mental Health, Substance Abuse Prevention, Children and Families
Assembly Bills In Committee
AB111
Relating to: psychiatric residential treatment facilities, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, and granting rule-making authority.
Joint Legislative CouncilA-Mental Health and Substance Abuse Prevention
AB112
Relating to: consent to mental health treatment by minors who are age 14 or older.
Joint Legislative CouncilA-Mental Health and Substance Abuse Prevention
AB113
Relating to: sharing minors’ safety plans.
Joint Legislative CouncilA-Mental Health and Substance Abuse Prevention
AB114
Relating to: clinician initiation of emergency detention of a minor and providing a penalty.
Joint Legislative CouncilA-Mental Health and Substance Abuse Prevention
AB115
Relating to: authorizing youth behavioral health program under the Medical Assistance program and granting rule-making authority.
Joint Legislative CouncilA-Mental Health and Substance Abuse Prevention
Reforms at the Milwaukee County Level
Increase the number of psychiatric beds in the county. Many organizations have recommended 30-50 beds per 100,000 people, so Milwaukee County should have 300-500 beds--and they aren't even close.
Stop the "revolving door." Keep patients in the hospital long enough to stabilize them.
Provide supportive housing/ community-based residential facilities (CBRFs) in safe neighborhoods for those with serious mental illness (SMI) who are unable to live safely on their own.
Decriminalize serious mental illness (SMI). Treat people in hospitals, not jails. Require a psychiatric evaluation for everyone who enters the criminal justice system. Over 50% of the inmates at the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility have a mental illness, according to their own website.


Reforms at the Federal Level
Reform HIPPA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) to allow families of those in active psychosis to be involved in their loved one's treatment. Right now they can only be involved in certain extreme circumstances
Eliminate the 1965 Institute for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion. If those between 21-65 on Medicaid go to any hospital for treatment, they are covered and the federal government reimburses the state. If they go to a mental health hospital, the federal government won't reimburse the states for Medicaid unless there are 16 or fewer beds. This results in a shortage of psychiatric beds across the country.
Reclassify serious mental illness (SMI) from a behavioral issue to what it is--a neurological condition.
Prioritize and provide more funding for those with SMI.


ADMIRE GETS AN AWARD FOR ADVOCACY AT THE COUNTY LEVEL! ADMIRE was given a commendation for our advocacy in Milwaukee County! Thanks to Supervisor Priscilla Coggs-Jones, who nominated us!!
“As caregivers, we earn our PHD in serious mental illnesses within the first five years, alongside a master’s in social work. We become versed in SMI pharmaceuticals, medication management, and evaluating SMI symptoms. We become experts in LEAP, CBT, and DBT. Navigating SSD, SSI, Medicaid, and Medicare becomes second nature. Once you realize the system is anything but systematic, you become an advocate for change, utilizing the brief window of time before bedtime, all while knowing you have a full-time job the next morning. To say we face headwinds is an understatement; we’re dealing with category 6 hurricanes.“ April, from the book Schizophrenia & Related Disorders: A Handbook for Caregivers by Nicole Drapeau Gillen