In Wisconsin, treatment providers, youth, parents, and payors will address Wisconsin adolescent treatment services. The project focuses on assessing, reviewing and developing a sustainable infrastructure to provide a better quality response, system-wide, for adolescents with substance abuse and/or co-occurring mental health issues.

Infrastructure is the key word in the Project Fresh Light grant, which does not provide funds for treatment. Wisconsin has an administrative rule for all levels of substance abuse treatment. General standards are mandated, however not directed specifically to adolescents. Each department individually develops its own rules around prevention, mental health treatment provision, juvenile justice or education.

The Center for Democracy in Action is currently gathering baseline information from county Departments of Human Services and county mental health services on how adolescents enter their systems and ways substance abuse help and mental health treatment are integrated.

Project Fresh Light is a Department of Health Services project funded through the federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT).

Read about The Center for Democracy in Action co-directors Judy Adrian and Carol Lobes, as they travel through various Wisconsin counties in Project Fresh Light's On The Road monthly column.