At the urging of Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey and others lobbying to keep mentally ill people from being locked up in county jails, Los Angeles County supervisors voted Wednesday to fund several programs for people undergoing psychiatric crises. . . The supervisors voted to use $40.9 million in state funding for opening three new 24-hour psychiatric urgent care centers, where police can bring people undergoing mental health crises instead of taking them to overcrowded emergency rooms or jail. . . The money would also help pay for an estimated 560 new residential treatment beds and to create 14 new crisis response teams that send mental health workers -- sometimes in conjunction with law enforcement -- to respond to incidents involving people believed to be mentally ill. Up until now, jail has been used to stabilize people,. . . its often more time-efficient for law enforcement to book an individual into jail on a minor charge ... rather than spend many hours waiting in a psychiatric emergency department for the individual to be seen.. . . Sheriff-elect Jim McDonnell praised Lacey for her leadership in bringing together county leaders, justice system officials, mental health experts and community voices as we seek to develop a comprehensive plan for how our justice system addresses the challenges and concerns of those suffering from mental illness.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 18:36:18 +0000
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