PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Dr. Kayla Hackman, Medical Doctor and Member of the Public, on Mental Health Crisis Response
5:23:04
·
139 sec
Dr. Kayla Hackman, a medical doctor with personal experience of psychosis, provided testimony on the critical state of New York City's emergency services, particularly in relation to mental health crises. She emphasized the need for reform in crisis intervention and advocated for peer-led policies in mental health response.
- Dr. Hackman shared her unique perspective as both a healthcare provider and a patient who has experienced trauma during a mental health crisis.
- She expressed deep concern about the current approach to mental health emergencies, including the use of algorithms for triage and the lack of attention to the issue.
- Dr. Hackman emphasized that mental illness and psychosis are not crimes or death sentences, and advocated for more compassionate and effective interventions.
Kayla Hackman
5:23:04
Hello.
5:23:05
My name is Doctor.
5:23:06
Kayla Hackman.
5:23:07
I'm a resident of New York.
5:23:08
I have been for over a decade.
5:23:10
I wanted to thank everybody that stayed to the end.
5:23:12
Thank you.
5:23:14
It's your job, so you should be here.
5:23:15
I'm saying that for the people who aren't.
5:23:19
I'm here wearing 2 hats.
5:23:20
I'm a medical doctor who has worked in a psychiatric hospital, and I'm also an individual who has psychosis.
5:23:26
The unique perspective that I have compelled me to speak out about the critical state we find our city's emergency services in at the moment, especially the interactions with individuals experiencing mental health crises, particularly those experiencing psychosis.
5:23:39
Being mentally ill or psychotic is not a crime, The current state of affairs is deeply concerning and having attended and taken a day off of work to be here, I find it even more concerning how no one seems to care.
5:23:51
The tragic cases of Charisse, Francis, Eleanor bumpers, and multiple others highlight a systemic problem in how we respond to mental health emergencies.
5:24:01
The incidents highlighted during this session underscore the urgent need for reform in our approach to crisis intervention.
5:24:08
As someone who has been in both positions as a provider and a patient, I'm intimately familiar with the challenges of our current healthcare system.
5:24:16
My perspective is not just professional but personal.
5:24:19
I have experienced firsthand trauma at the hands of the NYPD who forced me from my own bed and took me against my will to to Bellevue.
5:24:27
Well, institutionalization can be a miserable experience, especially at Bellevue.
5:24:32
And while I understand that it may seem challenging to convince people to willingly submit to it, it is eminently preferable to go to the hospital than to face the tragic outcomes we have heard today.
5:24:42
Few people are more qualified to help get mentally ill people to treatment they need than the people who have been there and gotten better themselves.
5:24:49
Psychosis is not a death sentence.
5:24:51
Mental illness is not a death sentence.
5:24:53
Peer led policy is the only way forward.
5:24:56
I'm here in support of the testimony that's been provided today.
5:25:01
I'm deeply concerned about the use of algorithms to triage people.
5:25:05
I'm deeply concerned about many things.
5:25:09
I echo everything everybody here has said today, and I just really wanna say how much I feel like I'm in despair right now because there's just nobody here who wants to listen to this.
5:25:18
I know that you're listening to this now, and I appreciate it.
5:25:21
But you know what I mean?
5:25:23
Thank you.
