CM Restler on constituent case management and DOHMH responsiveness

And then I just want to take a moment to also ask about

our challenges in coordinating with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene regarding constituents with severe mental health issues.

There is, when we reach out, there is, I would describe it as very limited assistance is provided.

We're told to call for a mobile crisis team, which maybe tries to visit once, then there's no follow-up.

The Department of Health will not engage with us or provide any updates or solutions that may have been provided to the individual who we're calling about.

The individuals continue to endanger their own safety and

safety of members of our community.

It happens again and again and again.

And I just, I don't, at this point, I don't even think it's worth calling the Department of Health.

I just, it doesn't help.

It makes no difference.

So I'm just trying to figure out how can we partner more effectively.

We have an individual with severe mental health challenges screaming in a park for hours every day.

For now two years.

It's been a daily, almost probably five days a week, hours on end, often drunk, screams nasty, threatening things at neighbors,

I just like, what are we, is DOHMH able to help on a situation like that?

Because we haven't gotten any help yet.

Let me ask just a follow-up question, Councilmember.

Is this for individuals who are slotted for supportive housing, or are these individuals?

No, no, no.

These are just people who are struggling with mental illness around my community who are causing serious issues.

I get no help.

I mean, I try.

I call everyone I can in the agency.

It doesn't make a difference.

I get no help.

And this has been the case for years.

And I just am so frustrated and disappointed that I, it's like, it feels like I have to take the health department off as one of the resources to go to because it doesn't yield to outcomes.

It doesn't actually make a difference.

And I certainly get no updates because we get no, nothing is shared with me.

It's just deeply, deeply frustrating.

And is there any, in that example, is there anything the health department can do to help?

Yeah, first of all, I hear you, we hear you, and thank you for flagging this.

You know, moving forward, this is the kind of work that we're trying to, in an interagency way with OCS, really be able to

address and so we're eager to try to do some problem solving around this.

Let me see if Jamie do you have anything else you want to add?

Yeah, I'm sorry you feel that way.

It's frustrating on our side too because there's a lot that we do but we can't

share a person's protected health information back with you.

So we really appreciate the referrals and the situations that you bring to our attention.

We act on them.

I know that.

I see the information.

But we can't talk about a person's treatment plan with a third party.

I totally understand their HIPAA restrictions, but we don't see any improvement on the ground.

Like, we don't see change.

We don't, and without getting into specifics about somebody's exact treatment plan, I don't need to know that information.

I do want to know we're actively engaging with this person, we've been connecting them to help, we're involved, that we're making a difference, that we're in a sustained way continuing to engage here.

anything so that we can come back to our constituents and say, hey, we're trying, the health department's engaged, we're doing something, and I just get a brick wall and I see no difference in the outcomes, so it just feels like nothing's happening and I can't see the result.

So I don't advocate for these things, I don't even call anymore because I honestly feel like what's the point?