Need for Improvement: Mental Health Ombudsman's Year One Report

Former AJC writer and current Georgia Health News CEOAndy Miller brings us the story that's being missed amidst all the press coverage of the settlement agreement between the US Department of Justice and the State of Georgia concerning the treatment of persons in its mental health system. An interim report summarizing Georgia's Disability Services Ombudsman Jewel Norman's first year on the job cites the need to improve clients' access to timely care and concern over the continually growing role of Law Enforcement in the lives of many Georgians who are living with mental illness. Miller writes that despite the high profile of the settlement between Georgia and the Feds, there are many issues that need addressing in the state's network of mental health service providers:

A little-noticed state report says an independent review team found poor medical care in the deaths of 23 patients at Georgia’s mental hospitals during the past fiscal year.

The report, from Georgia’s disabilities services ombudsman, also shows that the state’s mental health system remains plagued by other major problems, despite more than a year of scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Justice. Many patients still sit for hours in general hospitals’ emergency rooms, waiting for mental health treatment. And jails across the state still house a high percentage of people with psychiatric illnesses, the report adds.

Still, the state ombudsman who produced the report, Jewel Norman, said she sees improvement in the seven state-run psychiatric hospitals.

The report, itself, addresses the critical issue that there are not adequate resources throughout the state to assist people when they are experiencing a mental health emergency:

Georgia law requires the sheriff’s department of each county to transport mentally ill persons who are a danger to themselves or others to an emergency receiving facility. State policy requires medical clearance before any state hospital or Community Services Board Crisis Stabilization Program (CSP) can accept such a transfer. Most of the time the closest destination to achieve the required medical clearance is a general hospital emergency room (ER)...

In a late spring meeting of the Psychiatric Council of the Georgia Hospital Association, the Ombudsman discovered that many people with mental illness were experiencing excessive periods of waiting in the emergency rooms after medical clearance...

The average wait time for these patients, many of whom were experiencing an acute episode of their illness, was 36 hours... The average time for those persons exceeding the 36-hour mean time was 64 hours or 2.67 days.

These long wait times do more than put Georgians living with mental illness at risk, they have a multiplier effect on society as they tie up vital law enforcement, emergency medical services and hospital resources while these placements are being made. And then there is the worst-case scenario--an unfortunate societal situation that happens far too often in Georgia and elsewhere around the world--in which mental health consumers are adjudicated and incarcerated until a suitable placement can be made in a state forensic unit .

Preliminary data suggests that the corrections system, both local jails and our state prisons have become major providers of mental health services. For example, the Chatham County Sheriff provides data that, on any given day, he has between 200 and 250 people with mental illness in his jail. The Augusta Chronicle, in a July 11, 2010 article reported by Sandy Hodson, stated, “184 men and women who have been deemed mentally incapable of standing trial are locked in jails for weeks and months because there isn’t enough room in the state’s seven mental health hospitals [Forensic Units].” "That's what jails have turned into -- mental hospitals," said Richmond County Sheriff's Maj. Gene Johnson, who oversees the county's overcrowded jail. The Georgia Department of Corrections reports that 15.6 percent of the inmate population is receiving mental health services.

The settlement agreement with the federal government is forcing Georgia to make revolutionary changes to the way people receive treatment in the state's mental health system. In order to realize those anticipated outcomes, Georgia will have to conquer some of the most challenging sets of circumstances seen in the history of the treatment of mental illness. The Justice Department is requiring Georgia to allot the resources necessary to meet the federal government's benchmark of providing care in the most integrated setting appropriate to an individuals’ needs, but it will take the dedication of the Governor-elect, the entire General Assembly, many departments of state government and the people of the State of Georgia to decisively bring an end to this sad chapter in the state's history.

Rosalyn Carter on The Daily Show talking about Mental Health

Thanks to Jessica for pointing me in the direction this clip featuring an interview with Rosalyn Carter from yesterday's Daily Show.
Carter is promoting her new book "Within Our Reach" about the ongoing mental health crisis in America.
In addition to mentioning Central State Hospital, Carter tells the unrealized truth about the way our society is turning incarceration into the primary method of dealing with mental illness.
Watch for yourself:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Rosalynn Carter
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Lucid Idiocy Exposes the Green Door Committee

And he has pictures too!

Some of y'all might remember state Rep. Rusty Kidd, I-Milledgeville, talking during the special election about some unknown committee that does all the real budget writing for the State of Georgia. It may have sounded like some kind of election year mumbo jumbo at the time, but the Telegraph's Travis Fain stumbled upon the end of the rainbow today and found the committee's secret meeting spot.
Read all about it here.

Accepting or Rejecting Web site: AP's Perspective

"I would say it's a little bit art and a little bit science, but we're mindful of the fact that we don't want the Stylebook to be a 9,000-page thing that hits your desk with a thud."

Read this delightful story about how the changing world looks to the editors of the Associated Press Stylebook.

The Framers' Intent

Freedom of speech issues gone awry. This line from an AP story in the Washington Post made me guffaw:

"Half the pickup lines in bars across the country could be criminalized under that concept," he said.

The Plight of Local Governments

The AJC has a good, long sign-of-the-times piece about how Atlanta bedroom communities are handling the first major hiccup of their nascent existences.
Despite the apples-and-oranges ATL-centric focus of the story, it has some points that are just as applicable for Micropolitan Baldwin County:

‘Squeezing blood’
It’s a given that people who best weather rocky financial times are those who diversify their investments. A professor at Kennesaw State says public agencies are similar: Those with diverse revenue sources aren’t as hard-hit as single-industry towns.

And the article does good by highlighting some of the cost-cutting measures and progressive steps local governments are taking to weather the economic storm.

Another Thing About Sunday's Zonee

One other thing said on the Talking Straight Zonee has me wondering about Derrell Black's campaign activities.
Black said he has raised another $10,000 for his campaign, that's $10,000 more than the $4,074 he raised within the reporting period before the general election. He also said the Democratic Party had donated $75,000 to his campaign. By Democratic Party, he means the Georgia House Democratic Caucus, who verbally confirmed that they have spent $65,000 on Black's campaign, despite not making the filing deadline for disclosing campaign contributions 15 days before the November 3 election.
Here is the link to Black's campaign disclosure. Here is the link to E. Culver "Rusty" Kidd's campaign disclosure.
On Black's link you'll see a pull down menu for the campaign contribution reports efiled. That’s where you’ll find the $4,074 report contributions and expenditures.On Kidd's you'll see the same pull down menu for campaign contribution reports efiled and a pull down menu for two business day reports.
We're going to have to take Darrell Black's word on the extra $10,000 he claimed to have raised because there's nothing compelling him to disclose any contributions between the 15 days before the November 3 election report and the next filing deadline, six days before the December 1 runoff election—i.e.tomorrow--EXCEPT (see below). Oh and don’t worry, there’s a five day grace period, which means they really don’t have to file until the day before the election.
We're also going to have to take his word on the $75,000 from the Georgia House Democratic Caucus because they haven't disclosed any spending on the 141st District House race.
O.C.G.A. 21-5-34 states that"within the two-week period prior to the date of such election the independent committee shall report within two business days any contributions or expenditure of more than $1,000.00."
I see that Kidd is making those disclosures as O.C.G.A. 21-5-34 mandates--though I'm having trouble opening the file to see the details--but Black seems to be disregarding the rule, so there's really no way of knowing what's going on in his campaign.
Now the $10,000 Black mentioned above is a lot of money, at least in my book, and from what I'm hearing, Black is saying he's raised $20,000--$10,000 on his own since the 15-day filing period and roughly $5k to $10,000 from the Dems, should we believe anything they say.
These are not big deals in the realm of election ethics law. The fine for fudging your campaign contributions and expenditures is between $25 to $75, and that's not a lot when you're claiming to have raised about 1,000 times that amount.
But it makes for great copy, and really helps to get my blood flowing.

The Challenge is Out There

Update: I talked with E. Culver "Rusty" Kidd on Monday and he said that he will be there this coming Sunday night.
I also talked with Talking Straight host Quentin T. Howell and he said he's looking forward to bringing this opportunity to the people. Phone lines will be open for this interactive forum event. So you can have your questions ready, the number will be 478.946.3445.

On his Sunday evening talk show, Quentin T. Howell challenged the candidates in the 141st District House runoff race to appear on The Zonee next Sunday for a broadcast debate before the December 1 special election.
Darrell Black, who was guesting this Sunday, said he was up to the challenge.
The Zonee, sometimes referred to as the Talking Straight Zonee, airs Sunday nights at about 9:30 p.m. on LOVE 103.7 FM out of Irwinton.

Public Service Announcement
Early voting for the state House and Georgia Military College Board of Trustees District 2 runoffs begin this Monday and will continue through Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Baldwin County Courthouse. Election Day will take place Tuesday, December 1.

Public Service Announcement end

More Angels

Last month we let you know about the passing of journalist Jack Nelson.
Well, we're coming back at you to let you know Tom Crawford has a little more to say about Nelson.
If you're still interested in what newsgathering can be, check out these anecdotes about the people who did the job because it was worth doing.

Caught on Film

The candidate forums featuring candidates in the state House of Representatives and Milledgeville City Council District 1 races are up on the tube-type thing that shoots electronic letters everywhere.
You can check out the playlist of the state House forum here, and the playlist of the City Council District 1 forum here.

But in case you can't wait to link to those, I'll leave you with this:

May The Angels Be Watching Over You

Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Jack Nelson passed away at age 80 Wednesday.
Although my familiarity with Nelson is culled from little more than the discussion of his work in "The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation," the man was instrumental in righting some of the wrongs that have occurred at Central State Hospital in the past.
From the Associated Press:

As a reporter with The Atlanta Constitution in 1960, he won the Pulitzer Prize for local reporting for exposing malpractice and other problems at the 12,000-patient state mental hospital in Milledgeville, Ga.

"Jack was a reporter's reporter," said Doyle McManus, Washington columnist for the Los Angeles Times. "He maintained that the main thing people want from newspapers is facts - facts they didn't know before, and preferably facts that somebody didn't want them to know. Jack was tolerant of opinion writers; he respected analysis writers, and he even admired one or two feature writers. But he believed the only good reason to be a reporter was to reveal hidden facts and bring them to light."

Amen Bruddah!

To continue with the technology-related posts of the last couple of days, here is a story that says things that need to be said about the industry that puts food on my plate.
Since when were human beings so afraid of transformative change?

Of no relation to the launch of Milledgeville's Wireless Broadband Network

The Union-Recorder's Web operations will undergo a face lift in the coming weeks or months.
To get a sneak peek of what you can expect, visit our sister publication, located somewhere in a place called Alabama.

Other Georgia Cities Got Our Back

The Rome News-Tribune featured this editorial about the plight of Milledgeville in this dire economy.

"In November 1864 Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman arrived in Milledgeville, then Georgia’s capital, with 30,000 soldiers. He left a couple of days later after sacking the statehouse, destroying the state arsenal and powder magazine, burning the state penitentiary, railroad depot and Oconee bridge, and taking everything edible or of value from the surrounding countryside.
Now the national economy, aided by the forces of Georgia government, appears intent on seeing if they can finish the job."

It's reassuring to see that despite the troubles facing their own communities, civic leaders around the state are aware of what is going on in less-fortunate cities like Milledgeville and are willing to speak out against it.
Thanks to Travis Fain at Lucid Idiocy for linking to this editorial.

Candidate Questions?

I'd like to enlist the help of readers in questioning our candidates for municipal offices in the city of Milledgeville.
Below I've listed all the questions I put on a questionnaire that the paper is asking all candidates to fill out and send back to us to be put in the paper, but I'd like to hear community input about issues they would like addressed as we look forward to the November 3 contest.
You can either post them in the comment section or e-mail them to me at dmcdonald@unionrecorder.com

Note on these questions: I tried to ask really open-ended questions that force the candidate to come up with a response and defend it. I felt compelled to address certain issues, but I wanted the candidates to prove that they have a vision for the community, because I think that's what we're going to need to get through hard times.


Name as you would like it to appear on the ballot and in any newspaper articles:

Age:

Occupation:

Family:

Office you are qualifying for (please include district number, if applicable):

Previous elected offices held, governmental appointments or positions (local and other):

Please list and describe the attributes that make you an effective public servant.

Why do you feel compelled to represent your fellow residents on the Milledgeville City Council?

What are the three biggest issues facing the City of Milledgeville?

As a member of the Milledgeville City Council, what will you do to address these three issues during the next four years?

Falling tax collections are causing many local governments to choose between cutting services and raising taxes, in what ways would you recommend city officials maintain a balanced budget?

What are the City of Milledgeville's most marketable resources, and how would you use those resources to recruit and retain new businesses and/or industry?

What is your vision for the City of Milledgeville in the 21st Century, and how will you work with community, state and federal leaders to lay the ground work for that vision in the next four years?

If you are an incumbent, what is the most important issue the Milledgeville City Council addressed in the last four years, and are you satisfied with the way Council addressed that issue, please explain?

If you are a challenger, how will you help affect progressive local governance in the City of Milledgeville?

...Just Write About Yourself 2

Last month I wrote this post about the awkward trend of newspapers casting themselves as the protagonists of their own stories.
Well, unfortunately this trend seems to be catching on.
The AJC had this article about their prospective move from downtown Atlanta to my parents' neck of the woods.
That certainly is a shame.
Here's what one blog I follow has to say about this.

So that's how he does it!

Political Insider

From D.C. to Atlanta, Jim Galloway brings you the political news that concerns Georgia.

While browsing the AJC's Georgia Legislature page I saw this curious picture/cutline combination.
This image appears to have been taken during a Wild Hog Supper, the aptly titled opening bash for the Georgia General Assembly each session. You would figure that the picture would be of AJC's Political Insider Jim Galloway getting the latest scoop on some behind-the-scenes going ons under the Gold Dome, but instead it appears to show some state legislator talking with a wo...wait a minute!
If you take away the mustache and add some hair....Oh My Gosh!

And we confirm this almost 9 months after the election?

Is it just me? Shouldn't this have been confirmed before the election took place?

Another state facility closes in Baldwin County...but does anyone really care

I was surprised to see that no other Middle Georgia news outlet thought to write anything about the realignment (read: closing) of another prison in Baldwin County. I guess that kind of news is becoming so common place that news resources really are better used writing about teacher-student sex scandals.
Heck our own publication didn't even think it was important enough to put on the Web site.