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Concerns about involuntary transports and NYPD involvement in mental health responses
0:09:24
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Jumaane Williams expresses concerns about the mental health involuntary transport protocol and the high number of officer-initiated transports compared to clinician-initiated ones.
- Cites statistics on involuntary transports: 7,060 officer-initiated vs. 660 clinician-initiated in 2024
- Notes lack of reporting on outcomes for officer-initiated transports
- Criticizes focus on changing laws for involuntary hospitalizations
- Emphasizes the need for improved continuum of care after hospitalization rather than just involuntary admissions
Jumaane Williams
0:09:24
I would like to turn my attention to involuntary transports.
0:09:27
November 2022, the mayor released a mental health involuntary transport protocol outlining the process by which involuntary transport initiated by clinicians and or police officers would be concluded.
0:09:39
Under this protocol, individuals will be transported to a hospital emergency room to be evaluated for admissions to psychiatric treatment.
0:09:45
In 2024, there were a total of 7,060 officer initiated involuntary transports and 660 clinician initiated transports.
0:09:54
The 2024 report from the mayor's office of community mental health cites fifty eight percent of clinician initiated transports resulting in admissions at a New York City public hospital, but the reports fails to report on the outcomes of officer initiated transports.
0:10:09
Just this morning, there's an article that shows the program that links NYPD with clinicians has about a hundred involuntary removals just in the first six months and we still seem to be wanting to change the laws around involuntary hospitalizations when quite frankly that tool already exists and what we should be focusing on is the continuum of care that people receive after the hospitals.
0:10:31
It is not about involuntary hospitalization, it's about the continuum of care that's necessary after the hospitals.