The Bright Idea Fund within the Community Foundation recently awarded a $57,600 grant to Us 2 Behavioral Health Care to help hire a therapist to provide culturally responsive counseling to minority groups in the Fox Cities and offer training and consulting to local agencies that also seek to serve minority clients. The nonprofit opened last September in Appleton.

By Mai Yer Lee, Operations Analyst, Us 2 Behavioral Health Care

Mai Yer Lee

Prominent civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhuman.” Research shows that there are profound disparities in mental health services, especially for low-income and under-served populations in Wisconsin and throughout the United States.

Us 2 Behavioral Health Care provides outpatient counseling and psychiatric services from our clinic in Appleton using a unique culturally led, trauma-informed approach to help clients build resiliency and empowerment in their own lives.  We believe that every person deserves access to quality mental health services and we strive to increase access and quality of care for ALL without prejudice to one’s culture, socioeconomic status or financial position.

Us 2 Behavioral Health Care opened its doors on September 3, 2019 with 13 clients referred the first week. Us 2 has served more than 50 clients and provided 274 counseling sessions to date, thanks to a $57,600 grant from the Bright Idea Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region.

Us 2 Behavioral Health Care holds its first Open House January 16 in Appleton

We serve individuals, families and groups ages 4 and older, helping to treat:

• Depression
• Bipolar
• Anxiety
• Personality Disorders
• Addiction
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Emotional Distress
• Adjustment Disorders
• Loss, Death and Grief
• Marriage, Family and Relationship Therapy

We offer in-house language translation in Hmong and Spanish to overcome cultural barriers.

Us 2 Behavioral Health Care is taking new referrals for psychiatric evaluation, medical prescription and medication management for individuals ages 18 and older.

Last week we hosted our first open house to the public. Individuals from the community including organizations such as Community Foundation for the Fox Valley, Appleton Public Library, Office of the Mayor, and World Relief of the Fox Valley came to browse the facility, meet the team, and learn about the services provided.

The vision at Us 2 Behavioral Health Care is to build a community where diversity is celebrated, inclusion becomes ordinary practice and equity is recognized. Advancing a community to embrace diversity, inclusion, and equity is a significant endeavor. We pursue partnerships, programs, and events in an effort to drive action within the community. For more information about Us 2 Behavioral Health Care, visit our website here.

You can make the Bright Ideas burn even brighter by adding your support.
Check out our current Bright Idea Fund results from 2019 – 2020!