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Care provided in PACE units for individuals with serious mental illness
3:12:28
·
57 sec
Jeanette Merrill from Correctional Health Services (CHS) explains the care provided in Program for Accelerated Clinical Effectiveness (PACE) units for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) at Rikers Island.
- PACE units represent the highest level of care provided on Rikers
- These units have psychiatrists, nursing staff, and social work staff on-site
- Merrill emphasizes that the practices described earlier do not reflect the care provided in PACE units
- Council Member Cabán acknowledges the PACE unit's role but emphasizes that jail is not an appropriate place for individuals with SMI
Jeanette Merrill
3:12:28
So I don't want to suggest that the practices described reflect the care that's provided on a PACE unit.
3:12:35
You know the PACE unit is the highest level of care that we provide psychiatrists on unit.
3:12:41
We have nursing staff, social work staff come on.
3:12:44
So I don't want to suggest that what was described is in any way indicative of how we
Tiffany Cabán
3:12:49
I wasn't making that particular connection, but just the fact that we've seen on multiple different fronts from multiple different people testify today that jail is not the place for somebody with an SMI, nor is any correctional officer ever going to be equipped to take care of a person with SMI.
3:13:10
And so, like, what are we doing?
3:13:12
And this is specific to seven thirty clients, but even others that that haven't been seven thirty or haven't finished that process that have an SMI.
3:13:19
Like, what what are we doing to get these folks off of the island quickly and into hospitals instead?