Sacramento County Jail To Expand Aid To Inmates With Psychiatric Issues
The sheriff's department expands services as the department copes with more mental health-related cases. In other court news, a San Diego vet sues to keep his support dog at a recovery center and California residents sue Monsanto over alleged cancer risks from its weed killer.
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento County Sheriff Adds Mental Health Beds To Jail
As the Sacramento County Main Jail handles more inmates with psychiatric problems, the Sheriff’s Department is developing a new section staffed by UC Davis medical professionals, social workers and deputies that can provide intensive mental services without 24-hour care. The county currently keeps inmates who are suicidal or deemed a threat to others in an 18-bed “acute care” unit, which functions like a residential treatment facility. (Garrison, 3/23)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego Veteran Sues To Keep Support Dog With Him At Recovery Center
A Marine Corps veteran has sued Veterans Village of San Diego over a dispute about keeping his support dog, a Great Dane named Arthur, at the recovery center. The federal lawsuit comes as more veterans are getting service or support dogs for assistance with conditions from post-traumatic stress disorder to missing limbs, creating a new challenge for landlords, employers and health-care institutions. Mike Roberts said Arthur is trained to wake him during nightmares caused by his PTSD. Roberts served honorably in the Corps from 1996 to 1999 and has a non-combat disability connected to his service, his lawyer said. (Steele, 3/23)
East Bay Times:
Monsanto Weed Killer Caused Cancer, Californians Allege In New Lawsuit
Forty California residents are suing chemical giant Monsanto, alleging that exposure to the company’s Roundup weed killer caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The complaint, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, seeks compensatory and punitive damages from defendants Monsanto Co. and Willbur Ellis Company, LLC., for wrongful death and personal injuries. In the lawsuit, which was filed by consumer attorney firm Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman and environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the plaintiffs allege that Monsanto promoted false data and attacked legitimate research that showed the danger of glyphosate, an ingredient in its popular weed killer. (Sciacca, 3/23)