Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Division of Care and Treatment Services

Mental Health and Substance Use Services Gap Analysis

We collaborated with the UW Population Health Institute in 2025 to investigate gaps within the mental health and substance use services system across Wisconsin.

This assessment was designed to supplement existing quantitative data from state and federal data systems with qualitative data—insights and lived experience perspectives—from service providers and people being served.

The results of the interviews, focus groups, and surveys are highlighted in a report available now on our website. 

View the report [ [link removed] ]

The gaps identified in the report include:


* *Workforce:* Extensive waitlists exist in mental health and substance use disorder services, potentially driven by a lack of service providers overall and service providers with credentials related to substance use disorders.
* *Geography:* Accessing services is challenging for many clients and patients due to unreliable or unavailable transportation as well as an uneven distribution of service providers across the state.
* *Bureaucracy:* An absence of care coordination is present across programs, leading to difficulty accessing and navigating mental health and substance use disorder services at will.
* *Culture and linguistics:* Culturally competent care is not universally available, including access to interpreters and service providers that reflect Wisconsin’s demographics.

Change in Wisconsin’s system of mental health and substance use services is possible through continued dialogue and a collaborative approach spanning individuals being served, communities, providers, counties, Tribal nations, and policymakers to ensure conditions where care and well-being are prioritized and attainable.

The gap analysis report provides a foundation from which this work can continue.

See the Mental Health: Statistics [ [link removed] ] and Substance Use: Statistics [ [link removed] ] pages on our website for more data on Wisconsin's mental health and substance use services system.



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