Those of us who are working to reform our fractured mental health system need to begin talking to each other.
During my travels, I’ve visited many communities where there is little or no communication. The police don’t talk to local providers who take care of persons with mental disorders and substance abuse issues. These providers don’t talk to parents. And no one talks to the persons who are actually sick. 
Okay, I’m being a bit facetious — but my point is spot on.
Rather than cooperating, each faction does what it always has done and ignores how tax dollars could be saved and how people could be better treated through community collaboration.
In Miami, it took my good friend, Judge Steven Leifman, to bring “stakeholders”to the table and once that happened, Miami was able to make major progress in improving its mental health services.
I’m happy to report Florida has become a leader in breaking down communication barriers. At the urging of reform minded judges and sheriffs, the state formed an umbrella group called Florida Partners in Crisis. Its members include private health care providers, criminal justice officials, consumer groups, various local and state officials and advocates such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health America.
By meeting together to discuss their individual services and problems, these different factions have been able to get an overall picture of what is happening in Florida instead of seeing only their small piece of the puzzle.
This cooperation is extremely important. Why? Because we have to understand that helping persons with serious mental disorders involves much more than simply issuing a diagnosis and sticking a pill into a person’s mouth.
We need to understand that you can’t talk about mental health reform without talking about affordable and safe housing.
You can’t talk about mental health reform without talking about creating job opportunities.
You can’t talk about mental health reform without talking about transportation.
You can’t talk about mental health reform without talking about access to affordable medication and evidence based treatment programs.
And you can’t talk about mental health reform without talking about getting people, who have brain disorders, out of our jails and prisons where they don’t belong and back in society where they can live meaningful lives.
In 2007, Florida Partners in Crisis spearheaded passage of a state Criminal Justice, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Reinvestment Grant Act in Florida that provided funding in 23 counties for programs that create alternatives to jails and prisons.
How were those funds used?
How were those funds used?
*To create jail diversion programs that diverted persons who were clearly sick from incarceration into treatment programs.
*To create mental health courts where judges could send persons into treatment programs rather than having them get trapped in our prison system.
*To create re-entry programs that helped plug persons with mental disorders already in jails into housing and treatment programs after they were released rather than simply dumping them at night in a city park with no money, no help, and no hope.
In 2009, Partners in Crisis created the Judicial Education Project, to develop educational materials for judges, court personnel, and private attorneys to educate them about mental disorders and how best to help get someone into treatment rather than prison. The project is creating a handbook for judges to use so that the state can begin having a standardized procedure when it comes to how judges treat persons with mental disorders or substance abuse problems.
In 2009, Partners in Crisis created the Judicial Education Project, to develop educational materials for judges, court personnel, and private attorneys to educate them about mental disorders and how best to help get someone into treatment rather than prison. The project is creating a handbook for judges to use so that the state can begin having a standardized procedure when it comes to how judges treat persons with mental disorders or substance abuse problems.
Programs such as jail diversion, mental health courts, and re-entry programs not only are more humane, they also will eventually reduce costs to taxpayers.
We know that persons with mental disorders and substance abuse problems cost taxpayers huge amounts of money. (Remember Million Dollar Murray? in The New Yorker?) So having all of the different social service agencies that come into contact with someone such as Murray share their ideas about how to help him would seem to be simple common sense.
Yet programs such as Florida Partners in Crisis remain rare.
When I mentioned this to my friend, Judge Leifman, he told me that I shouldn’t be so pessimistic. There is going to be more communication, cooperation, and collaboration, he assured me. Not only because it makes sense, but because it will save communities money.
And during a recession, who can argue with that?
About the author:
About the author: Pete Earley is the bestselling author of such books as The Hot House and Crazy. When he is not spending time with his family, he tours the globe advocating for mental health reform.
