GREEN BAY — Children’s Wisconsin announced last week that their Green Bay Mental Health Walk-In Clinic is now open within the same building as Emplify Health by Bellin Behavioral Health.
Located at 301 E. St. Joseph St., the clinic serves kids ages 5-18 experiencing urgent mental health concerns.
Patients can simply walk into the Children’s Wisconsin clinic with a parent or guardian, no appointment necessary, and speak with a licensed mental health therapist.
According to a news release, the clinic is staffed by a licensed therapist and a clinical assistant, with support from social workers and clinical assistants. Children and teens ages 5-18 can access care immediately, with no appointment, referral or previous history with Children’s Wisconsin required. The clinics offer a therapy session, safety evaluation and support in connecting families to long-term resources in the community. The clinic provides continuing support until those long-term resources are in place.
The Children’s Wisconsin Green Bay Mental Health Walk-In Clinic, part of the Children’s Wisconsin Craig Yabuki Mental Health Center, is possible thanks to a commitment from Kohl’s Cares to support the opening of mental health walk-in clinics. The first Kohl’s-supported mental health walk-in clinic opened in Kenosha in 2024. There is also a walk-in clinic on the Children’s Wisconsin Milwaukee Hospital campus. Since the first Children’s Wisconsin walk-in clinic for mental health opened in 2022, these urgent mental health services have supported more than 3,400 kids.
“Every community in Wisconsin would benefit from walk-in mental health services for kids,” said David Whelan, MSW, Behavioral Health Consultant at Children’s Wisconsin. “Especially for kids, the waiting lists in some areas have gotten worse because both more children are in need, and we are still facing a national shortage of mental health care providers.”
Children’s Wisconsin works closely with health care partners in the area to offer this supplemental mental health care to kids and families in Northeast Wisconsin. These urgent, walk-in services offered at the Green Bay Mental Health Walk-In Clinic are meant to support the long-term mental health care provided by community partners, including Catalpa Health and Connected for Kids, a partnership between Children’s Wisconsin, Emplify Health by Bellin and ThedaCare, as well as for families and kids who don’t have an established mental health provider.
“We’re glad we can bring this crucial service to Northeast Wisconsin,” said Amy Herbst, Vice President of Mental and Behavioral Health at Children’s Wisconsin. “A mental health walk-in clinic like this essentially serves as an urgent care for mental health. The concept is as simple as that. If your child is not feeling okay and needs to speak to a professional, get in the car now, instead of making an appointment months from now.”
The most common needs seen at the mental health walk-in clinics in Milwaukee and Kenosha have included anxiety, depression, trauma concerns and school avoidance. With the new clinic open in Green Bay, help will be closer to home for families in Brown and Oconto counties and beyond.
“We are so excited to have this innovative Children’s Wisconsin urgent mental health care service in our region,” said Debbie Patz, Vice President of Emplify Health by Bellin Behavioral Health. “There continues to be demand for these services, and this walk-in clinic will help by providing an immediate option for families. We look forward to collaborating with Children’s Wisconsin on long-term care plans and solutions for our kids and families.”
Kohl’s donation is made possible through the Kohl’s Cares Goods for Good™ merchandise program, which sells children’s books and toys and donates 100% of the net profit to support the health and wellness of families in communities nationwide. Learn more about the Craig Yabuki Mental Health Center at Children’s Wisconsin, as well as resources and tips for parents and children of all ages.
