Health Compass Milwaukee

 

EQUITY CALL-OUT

In addition to the disparities discussed around poverty, health care access, and asthma – access to mental health care is another key issue facing youth and children that demonstrates stark racial and ethnic disparities in Milwaukee County. When looking at ER rates due to pediatric mental health, and understanding that ER admissions signify difficulty in accessing primary mental health care, we see an overall rate of 51.9 per 10,000. This rate is almost twice the average rate across the state. And, when broken down by race and ethnicity, there are significantly higher rates amongst the Black/African American population, with a rate of 90.4 per 10,000.