Arlene Machado
4:51:25
Good afternoon, Shirley, and council members.
4:51:28
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today on the behalf of the Center for Justice Innovation.
4:51:33
My name is Arlene Machado, and I'm a case manager.
4:51:35
For the Bronx Hole Program, Bronx Heroin Overdose Prevention And Education Initiative of Bronx Community Solutions, which addresses substance use and at a harm reduction model at the present level.
4:51:48
Providing the opportunity for rehabilitation rather than jail or options that failed to address the underlying issues.
4:51:54
Over the years, I've been a witness to the desperate need for mental health care, for the people that we service mental illness and substance use go hand in hand.
4:52:03
It's rare that we meet clients who don't have a history of mental health disorders.
4:52:07
Typically, most clients usually use illicit substances because they don't have the access to proper mental health care services.
4:52:15
They face barriers like having to wait too long to see providers, not having insurance, and not being able to complete the various intake assessments.
4:52:24
Their health insurance just isn't accepted at the clinics that they've been referred to or that they heard about.
4:52:29
It's frustrating trading for us as caseworkers, clinicians social workers, etcetera, to sometimes find the adequate care for our clients.
4:52:35
Imagine how hard it is for the people that are actually waiting for the care.
4:52:38
I wasn't always a caseworker.
4:52:40
I began my career as a peer specialist.
4:52:42
My goal has always been to help and support the clients that have struggles.
4:52:47
As a peer, I was able to connect with people that I served not in a clinical sense, but in a way that related to the realities that they were facing.
4:52:54
I was a person somebody could speak to without the judgment without the fear of judgment.
4:52:59
I was a voice for people who weren't loud enough to be heard.
4:53:03
My past life experiences were no longer just a piece of trauma that I carried around.
4:53:07
They became valuable tools of knowledge to be passed on so that others can have the opportunity to know better and do better.
4:53:14
I say all of this to highlight the value that peer specialists bring to the work and the lives of our clients.
4:53:19
Our data shows how impactful peer engagement can be and how our clients are likely to Complete programming if they are connected with a peer specialist immediately after being arrested.
4:53:30
Mental health responses such as these are so integral to rehabilitation and connection to community.
4:53:36
Thank you for your time.
