MADISON, Wis. — Journey Mental Health Center says a contract funding gap has created a $1.8 million shortfall for services Dane County is required to provide.
The gap has accumulated over the past four years, according to CEO Sarah Valencia.
Journey operates several community support programs, including Dane County’s 24/7 crisis line, mobile crisis response and the Community Alternative Response for Emergency Services program, known as CARES.
Journey screens Madison students for mental health concerns
Valencia said Medicaid revenue assumptions in the county contract have not been met. Journey is seeking a contract that covers approved expenses, but the county executive’s proposed budget does not include a resolution to the funding gap.
“These are state-mandated programs,” Valencia said. “The county has essentially been funding them through a nonprofit’s fundraising and reserves, and we can’t anymore. We need them to pay for the services they’re receiving.”
Journey is appealing to county supervisors during October budget deliberations. Valencia said she cannot sign a 2027 contract that contains a structural deficit.
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