WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) – 7 Investigates confirmed a man receiving crisis services at North Central Health Care likely died by suicide inside the Adult Crisis Stabilization Facility.
Wausau Police were called to the facility around 4:30 a.m. on Monday. According to Investigations Capt. Ben Graham via email, a patient who shared the room with the man was concerned when they got no response from him while he was in the bathroom. The patient alerted staff and found the man unresponsive.
Despite NCHC staff and first responders’ efforts to save his life, he died on scene.
An autopsy was performed Tuesday. While the pathologist’s final report is not available yet, Graham said the preliminary investigation and findings were consistent with suicide.
“Our hearts go out to the individual’s family, loved ones, and all those affected by this tragic loss,” Executive Director Gary Olsen responded in an email.
NCHC is working with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Wausau Police Department as they investigate the death, which Olsen called a “review.”
“We recognize that mental health crises are complex and deeply personal. Support and resources are being made available to staff and clients affected by this event,” he continued. “We encourage anyone in the community struggling with thoughts of suicide or in need of emotional support to contact our Crisis Center at 1-800-799-0122 or the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.”
The Crisis Center provides 24/7 emergency and crisis care for those who are in mental crisis.
The Adult Crisis Stabilization Facility provides 24-hour, “short-term, voluntary, therapeutic interventions to reduce and stabilize a person’s crisis and link them to other resources and supports,” the NCHC website states. “An individual’s length of stay depends (on) their needs. Services are designed to be short-term, approximately 3-5 days, and can include a variety of skill-building and psychoeducational groups, staff-instructed activities, individual meetings with a case worker, and referral services.”
“Because it is a voluntary setting—not a secure inpatient hospital—this facility is intended for individuals who need additional support but are not considered an imminent risk to themselves or others,” Sarah Severson, the public information and communications coordinator for Marathon County, explained in an email.
She said the ACSF operates under Wisconsin Administrative Code DHS 83 and as an optional service under DHS 34. After review, she said NCHC was abiding by DHS 83 guidelines that require hourly safety checks of individuals at ACSF.
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