Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
Improving access to mental health care in jails
0:10:21
ยท
97 sec
Dr. Stossel discusses specific ways to improve access to mental health care in NYC jails, focusing on the PACE program and mental health housing.
- The PACE (Program for Accelerated Clinical Effectiveness) program is highlighted as an effective model for treating the sickest individuals.
- Dr. Stossel emphasizes the importance of creating environments that approximate hospital-level care, with features like open spaces and flexible medication management.
- She suggests expanding the PACE program and mental health housing footprint to better address the needs of individuals with various mental health challenges.
Keith Powers
0:10:21
Well you talked about some ways that we can make sure that people have access to mental health care and improve on it.
0:10:29
Can you give more specifics?
Dr. Lauren Stossel
0:10:30
Yeah so I think the PACE program works really well at Rikers that's program for accelerated clinical effectiveness and it cohorts our sickest individuals in environments that are meant to more closely approximate a hospital level of care.
0:10:45
So wide open spaces, places where people can go to be by themselves when they want to but generally sort of reducing lock in time, presence of supportive individuals who can help with sort of daily crises that arise, more flexible medication management schedules so that medications if they're not taken at the time that they're generally offered can be held and offered again later.
0:11:12
And ideally, although this wasn't happening when I was there toward the end, steady officers who know the individuals well and really at its best can help so much with those de escalations and really partner with mental health staff to create an environment that feels therapeutic and respectful.
0:11:32
And I think being able to expand that program and also expand the mental health housing footprint generally for individuals who may not have serious mental illness but who do have sort of unique mental health needs and targeting, you know, cohorting individuals and targeting programming and housing units towards those needs has demonstrated itself to be really effective, and I think we could be doing more of that.
Keith Powers
0:11:59
When you say that there's not there was but there's not steady staffing around officers right now.