The Challenge For Police When Called To Situation Involving Mental-Health Crisis
In other mental health care news: Orange County's efforts to improve services; and families struggle to find care needed for loved ones.
Sacramento Bee:
Police Were Called To Handle An Escalating Mental-Health Crisis. This Is Why They Backed Off
Under intense scrutiny and in the wake of recurring protests throughout the city, Seyffert said police didn't want to risk a violent encounter with Stevante Clark on that April night. So they did something that had rarely if ever been done in Sacramento before — sent civilians to handle what normally would have been a quick arrest. The results have raised questions about the hard choices police and the city face when it comes to handling mental crises, and what responsibilities and risks are reasonable to ask of residents. (Chabria, 5/20)
Orange County Register:
Here’s What A Comprehensive Mental Health Care System For Orange County Could Potentially Look Like
CHOC’s brand new Mental Health Inpatient Center has 18 bright, airy rooms with common recreational areas and cheery leaf motifs adorning its entryways and walls. Designed for children as young as 3 and youth as old as 18, the $13.2-million facility’s bathrooms have smooth door handles and shower heads, and toilet paper holders that flip to downward position when excessive load is applied — all designed to prevent suicide by hanging. (Bharath, 5/18)
Modern Healthcare:
As Families Struggle To Get Behavioral Health Coverage, Enforcement Of Parity Laws Lags
In the midst of a national epidemic of drug addiction and overdose deaths, many families report similar battles with insurers in getting coverage for needed mental healthcare and/or addiction treatment. This includes situations when patients at high risk of relapse were discharged from residential care over clinicians' objections because their insurer stopped paying, or when patients in acute withdrawal had to wait for their insurer to approve payment for medication-assisted treatment. Some patients reportedly have died due to delays in getting needed coverage and care. Insurers blame access problems on the national shortage of behavioral health professionals and a lack of reliable quality measures for behavioral health facilities. (Meyer, 5/19)