QUESTION
How do NYC Department of Correction facilities monitor and address mental health challenges?
3:24:22
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165 sec
The NYC Department of Correction, in collaboration with Correctional Health Services, employs various mental health professionals and provides staff training, effectively addressing mental health challenges within the system.
- Correctional Health Services assesses individuals at intake for mental health challenges.
- Regular collaborations and meetings between Department of Correction officials and Correctional Health Services monitor and address individuals’ mental health needs.
- Mental health staff includes art therapists, dance therapists, psychiatrists, and psychiatric nurse practitioners.
- The Department of Correction provides staff with training for crisis intervention and de-escalation.
- Support for reintegrating individuals into the community includes counseling and specialized release conditions for mental health follow-up.
Gale A. Brewer
3:24:22
So so nobody at so how do you monitor that?
3:24:25
How do you make sure?
3:24:25
Because you do have a very large number of people who have that challenge.
3:24:29
You said that you heard you earlier point out that when people come in, they get assessed.
Lynelle Maginley-Liddie
3:24:33
They get assessed by correctional health services.
Gale A. Brewer
3:24:35
Okay.
3:24:35
Do you have any sense of whether that's working or not working because in the end, of course, you're dealing with it in addition to the correctional health.
Lynelle Maginley-Liddie
3:24:44
So we work closely with correctional health services in particular DC Saunders meets with correctional health services on a regular basis to monitor people who are coming into our care.
3:24:55
D.
3:24:55
Saunders, do you want to just talk briefly about that?
James Saunders
3:24:58
Sure.
3:24:58
So as a commission indicated, we work very closely with our colleagues at CHS.
3:25:03
And so your your question goes to the heart of outcomes, I think.
3:25:07
You know?
3:25:07
Is is it working?
3:25:08
Is it not working?
Gale A. Brewer
3:25:09
Correct.
James Saunders
3:25:12
I would I would think that it is working.
3:25:14
I think that they are they have qualified professional mental health professionals.
3:25:18
They have For example, they have art therapists.
3:25:24
They have dance therapists.
3:25:26
They have psychologists like psychiatrists.
3:25:28
They have nurse practitioners whose focuses in in psychiatry.
3:25:32
So I think they they have the correct staff, and I don't wanna speak for them.
3:25:37
But I I think it does work.
3:25:40
And if you think about it, what is, you know, the the b r r, you know, this our society is in a mental health crisis.
3:25:48
And, you know, with the closing of state facilities, we have seen a higher number of folks in the mental health issues coming into our jails that is placing stress on all of these various systems.
3:26:01
And I think CHS is coping with it very well.
3:26:04
And we support them by providing our staff with the requisite training that they need to deescalate crisis intervene.
3:26:14
So I I think it is I think it's working.
Gale A. Brewer
3:26:16
Okay.
James Saunders
3:26:17
You know, when we reintroduce people back into the community.
3:26:22
Programs is focused on that.
3:26:24
They have a full set of counselors who provide that level of support, who help reintroduce the the cars related back into programming, into the into the community.
3:26:37
And we also have folks who are Brad H designated, meaning that when we release them, they can only be released during certain hours, and they have to and at some point, contact the mental health provider back into the community So I think the the safety net that's there is is working.
Gale A. Brewer
3:26:54
Okay.
3:26:54
I mean, it doesn't seem that when you are there, but I'm not there for an extended period of time, you see the individuals in the unit where they're being observed to see their status.
3:27:04
And it does seem a little chaotic, but I hear what you're saying.