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Concerns about mental health services and bed availability for crisis response
1:53:39
ยท
3 min
Council Member Gale A. Brewer raises concerns about the lack of beds available for individuals in mental health crises, particularly those encountered by the BHERD (Behavioral Health Emergency Response Division) program. The discussion highlights the shortage of intermediate care facilities for stabilizing patients before they can transition to supportive housing.
- DOHMH supports about 12,000 people through supportive housing programs
- There's a critical shortage of respite beds and intermediate care facilities
- One program in East Harlem has only 11 beds for men and 3 for women with 24-hour psychiatric, OT, and nursing services
- The responsibility for addressing this issue seems to be shared among multiple city agencies, but there's no clear lead agency identified
Gale A. Brewer
1:53:39
office of schools.
1:53:39
The reason I ask is there's a big coalition, as you know, of school based, and they're not happy, and they say there are a lot of deficiencies.
1:53:46
I won't get into it now because of time, but they say 104 or 105 schools do not have a nurse.
1:53:52
That's not good.
1:53:52
And they call in for $25,000,000 more with some possible state money to supplement or complement or underwrite.
1:54:01
But it's a long story.
1:54:02
We do not have good school based health care right now.
1:54:04
So I'd love to have a further conversation about that.
1:54:07
The state has some responsibility also.
1:54:10
Number two, in terms of mental health and bee herd.
1:54:14
I went out with the bee herd in Queens.
1:54:16
I went to Queens once in my life.
1:54:19
I went out once.
1:54:22
And and there were we went out with the social worker and the EMS worker.
1:54:27
So issue, though, which I do think is your problem, is you can, get support for somebody, but there's very few beds for them to go to.
1:54:35
So what are we doing about that?
1:54:37
That's the 24,000 elephant in the room question in New York City.
1:54:41
Is that your responsibility?
1:54:43
Is that Eva Wan's response?
1:54:44
Whose responsibility are these beds?
Michelle Morse
1:54:47
Thank you for that question.
1:54:48
We do have a combination of different ways we try to support housing for people who are dealing with mental illness.
1:54:56
One of the most expansive ways is through our supportive housing programs.
1:55:00
It's about 12,000 people.
1:55:02
We also do function respite beds as a part of our scope of work, but you are right that there are often sometimes challenges with getting space for respite.
Gale A. Brewer
1:55:12
So who's in charge of trying to figure that out?
1:55:15
Because they say that there's one program in East Harlem, 1 program, 11 beds for men, three for women.
1:55:22
That's it?
1:55:23
That's got twenty four hour psychiatric OT and nursing services?
1:55:27
We need more of those.
1:55:29
So who is in charge of trying to get more beds for this population, the one that BHERT excellently deals with?
Michelle Morse
1:55:36
Thank you for that question.
1:55:37
I'm going to ask our Executive Deputy Commissioner, Doctor.
1:55:40
Wright, to come back to the table to share a little bit more on those efforts.
Gale A. Brewer
1:55:44
So nobody has doctor Platt's what happened to his yeah.
1:55:50
No.
1:55:50
His his his thing that he hung around his neck because it had two things in it.
1:55:55
Go ahead, sir.
1:55:56
I'm sorry.
1:55:58
Two IDs in one.
1:56:01
Only human being in the world.
1:56:03
Go ahead.
Dr. Jean Wright
1:56:05
Thank you, council member.
Gale A. Brewer
1:56:07
Where are my beds?
Dr. Jean Wright
1:56:08
So I'm thankful for the council for promoting this invaluable program, supportive housing.
1:56:15
My team testified on supportive housing at the end of last year and we're proud to provide information on our role in this work alongside our partners HPD, DSS and other agencies.
1:56:26
So it is a combination of city agencies that work together to create more housing.
1:56:30
And as commissioner, Morris said, we're very excited by the fact that we've been able to, provide more than 12,458, thousand housing place for housing.
Gale A. Brewer
1:56:41
Okay.
1:56:41
I mean, I won't belabor it now, but the issue is it's sort of the in between housing that you're looking for.
1:56:47
I know what supportive housing is.
1:56:48
I'm quite familiar with it.
1:56:49
But in between, to get a person from be heard to what you're talking about, it needs an in between.
1:56:57
It needs something that's going to get them stabilized so that they can go to the supportive housing.
1:57:02
And those beds don't exist.
1:57:05
I guess you're working on it.
1:57:06
Somebody's working on it.
1:57:07
Thank You don't know who though.
1:57:08
Right?
Dr. Jean Wright
1:57:09
And we're certainly always willing to learn more and to take in
Gale A. Brewer
1:57:12
Put up the information.
Dr. Jean Wright
1:57:13
And so we're gonna