This year has been super challenging for many but despite the collective obstacles we have faced, there is no doubt we are making progress on changing the status quo of incarceration, homelessness, and death for our loved ones and community members with untreated and under-treated serious mental illnesses.
In this communication, we wanted to pause for a minute to bring you our summer and fall highlights, as well as what’s next for Healing Minds NOLA.
ZOOM CAST SERIES 2020 WRAPS
The Covid 19 epidemic threw an unexpected wrench into plans for what would have been our 2nd annual “Implementing a Full Continuum of Psychiatric Treatment and Care” Conference.
[2019 conference highlights here – https://healingmindsnola.org/conferences/]
As anyone who has planned a conference knows, the lockdown presented extreme challenges. The hotel was booked, many speakers confirmed, flights were in the works, sponsorship solicitations had begun and then, well… here’s a behind the scenes look:
Despite our best efforts, communications with sponsors and the City resulted in our decision to cancel this year’s fall conference … but then Zoom came along and “Zoom Cast 2020: Focus on Serious Mental Illness” was born. 💡
Thanks to modern technology, we were able to reach a much broader national/international audience and the series was wildly successful. More than 600 people registered on the day we went live. That following grew to a list of more than 1000 registrants, not to mention viewers!
The “Making Sense of HIPAA” Seminar featuring Senator Bill Cassidy and Timothy Noonan of the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) under Health and Human Services (HHS), drew approximately 5000 viewers nationwide!
We were honored to be featured in a blog post by Pete Earley – nationally renowned Serious Mental Illness Advocate, former Washington Post reporter, author of “Crazy” (referring to the mental health system, not people), and one of the America’s most recognized speakers on the horrible injustices done to people, like his son, who live with no-fault serious mental illnesses.
There were so many more incredible moments! Rewatch all of the zoom casts on our Video Archives page.
We are sincerely humbled by the feedback from family members and serious mental illness/ neurological brain disease advocates about the series. Here are some of the comments:
“ I am an extremely shy person, easily intimidated by the “busy” professionals. Listening to your passionate speakers really helped me stand up taller for my son.”
“Well done overall! Important also.”
“Many thanks for the great organizational effort and the hard work that went into presenting this series. Keep up the great work!”
“I don’t know of any place else that is highlighting these issues in such an informative and helpful manner.”
“I stumbled upon this series mid-way through, and found it extremely helpful, I went back and found the previous videos and went through them as well. I am so happy that I found this gem! I wish there was a better way for you to advertise this series, I think more professionals could benefit from it!”
“Please keep doing these, I only heard about you a month or two ago but the two sessions I have joined have been excellent, the best I have seen from any organization. The speakers have been phenomenal!”
We could not be more grateful to our special guests for the incredible support of our advocacy and helping to promote the series. We are equally grateful to everyone who participated. Very special thanks to the Louisiana District Judges Association, our production team Jason Berry, Leah Goodman, Patrick Caldwell, and VERY VERY special thanks to Eric Smith for agreeing to co-host the series.
Note: We are in discussions with some of our partners regarding packaging our series to distribute for those looking for CEUs and CLE’s.
Meanwhile, Healing Minds NOLA is currently working on Zoom Cast 2021. Broadcasts will air between January and May. We are also hoping to host an in-person conference next fall in New Orleans.
SEE AND BE SEEN…. Contact us for sponsorship opportunities!
Drop us an email at HealingMindsNOLA@gmail.com to learn more
HOUSING: THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
Healing Minds NOLA Zoom Cast – “Homelessness and Housing: Addressing America’s System Failures”
On October 16th, Dr. Drew Pinskey and Dr. Ken Rosenberg joined Healing Minds NOLA to help lead a discussion on “Homelessness and Housing: Addressing America’s System Failures.” Despite federal funding increases on housing the homeless, homelessness continues to increase for people who struggle with serious mental illnesses, substance use disorders and a host of associated co-morbidities.
Those familiar with the challenges associated with untreated and under-treated serious mental illnesses will be familiar with this common refrain: “discharge to what?” Many people diagnosed with SMIs live in a perpetual state of transient crisis care, moving in and out of ERs and hospitals, shelters, jails, group homes – (often unlicensed) – and apartments with inadequate supports. Doctors, social workers, Emergency Medical Service personnel, police, sheriffs, attorneys, families, and patients themselves, are frustrated by the lack of destination options for those in the bottomless revolving door cycle where they continue to deteriorate, and where cities and states are drained of dollars with zero return on investment.
Rewatch the recording of our October 16th Zoom Cast here: https://healingmindsnola.org/video-archives/
Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) Unveils New Strategic Plan
It remains to be seen if the Biden administration will continue to advance the Trump administration’s new initiative on homelessness and housing. Recently, Secretary Carson, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), hosted a discussion introducing a new strategic plan that ties housing to treatment. The plan considers “homelessness beyond a sole issue of housing and instead focusing on the root causes of homelessness for each individual and family experiencing homelessness”
REWATCH THE OCTOBER 21st DISCUSSION BELOW
Kerry Morrison Launches New Podcast Series
Congratulations to Kerry Morrison, former Executive Director of the Hollywood Property Owners Alliance, a nonprofit organization that manages both the Hollywood Entertainment District and the Sunset and Vine Business Improvement District (BID) on her new foray into the podcasting world. For the Launch, in a 2-part series, Kerry interviewed co-authors Teresa Pasquini and Lauren Rettagliata about their white paper, Housing that Heals.
“As two California Moms on a Mission, we invite you to join our journey across the state and into our future dreams for Housing that Heals for Families Like Ours. Housing That Heals is more than a house, a program, or a room key. It is a system of care that wraps a person in all of the necessary medical, clinical, rehabilitative, and social supports that they need in order to live and die in dignity.”
It’s an amazing glimpse into the lives of families who struggle with untreated serious mental illness and busts the following myths:
- Housing First works for everyone
- Serious Mental Illness/Substance Abuse Disorder is the parent’s fault
- Having unlimited resources equals care, even for someone who will not volunteer to get help
Hope you can find a minute to listen:
- Housing That Heals Part One: A conversation with Lauren Rettagliata and Teresa Pasquini
- Housing That Heals Part Two: A Conversation with Lauren Rettagliata and Teresa Pasquini
IN THE NEWS
What to do about Ahav?
Washington Post, October 2020
What to do about Ahav, an article by Hannah Dreier and partially informed by Healing Minds NOLA, is a must read for anyone concerned about the lack of resources for families struggling with untreated serious mental illnesses.
“Oh, Lord,” Kelli said, taking Analiel’s head in her lap and turning to Ahav, and once again the chaos in this damaged house was in full roar, at the center of which was a 5-foot-2, 130-pound boy with the first traces of a mustache against whom everything about life in modern-day America seemed to be arrayed: his mental illness, his family’s poverty, his age, his size, his race and a pandemic that was eroding the already fragile systems that had been keeping him stable. He was gritting his teeth and pulling at his long twists of hair. “Are you hearing the voices? Tell me,” Kelli said, but instead of answering, he walked down the hallway and toward the front door, outside of which was a peaceful road in suburban Atlanta, which led to a six-lane highway, where several times this year, as his illness deepened, he had tried to throw himself in front of a moving car.”
Where there’s help, there’s hope. Where is the hope for this family?
Pete Earley Blogs Feature Healing Minds NOLA
Closer to home, we were contacted about a young woman with a serious mental illness who had been arrested at the New Orleans airport in April for taking her clothes off because she was too hot. The following 7 months proved to be a nightmare for Mariel Vagara and her mother. Pete Earley highlights the plight of the family and our work to help wrestle Mariel out of a jail and into a hospital.
“Mariel was arrested on charges of obscenity, resisting an officer, battery of a police officer and simple battery. She was booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna, which is part of the Greater New Orleans Region. The jail holds an average of 1200 inmates. A study of data by ARC Associates from 2011-2012 found that 33% of inmates booked into the facility have a mental illness, the most common being anxiety/depression, followed by bipolar disorder and finally 10% with schizophrenia.”
“If Mariel was seen by a psychiatrist, that doctor could file a protective order, known as a Physician Emergency Certificate, to hold Mariel 72 hours for a civil commitment hearing. In Louisiana, the Coroner’s Office also could file a Coroner Emergency Certificate. Janet explained that Lisa could request an order through the coroner’s office too – any interested party in Louisiana could – but she’d have to submit evidence that showed Mariel needed to be hospitalized.
“I knew Mariel wouldn’t go to a hospital by herself,” Lisa said. “She didn’t think anything was wrong with her.”
Lisa decided to fly to New Orleans. She arrived Oct. 22, a Thursday. As she hurried through the New Orleans airport, she couldn’t help but think that this was where her daughter had walked in nude, scuffled with deputies and been arrested.
Janet was waiting. She had been in contact with a psychiatrist at the New Orleans University Medical Center Hospital who’d agreed to examine Mariel to determine if she met the state’s civil commitment criteria if they could get her from the jail to the UMC emergency room.
“I didn’t know when she would be released,” Lisa said. She also wasn’t certain how she would convince Mariel to go with her to UMC. Mariel had grabbed the steering wheel and tried to crash or run the car off the road in the past when Lisa had been driving her somewhere she hadn’t wanted to go.”
“Living with Voices” Challenge
On Saturday October 10, 2020 Healing Minds NOLA & Councilmember Jason Williams, ever supportive of our work, co-hosted an “Auditory Hallucination Challenge.” Individuals were able to experience, through an online portal, what it’s like to live with auditory hallucinations. Thanks to Luke Kramer of The STARR Coalition who facilitated the exercise.
It was memorable, with some family members of individuals with SMI moved to tears for being able, for the first time, to understand what their loved ones must be suffering through. We look forward to bringing the challenge back for individuals and agencies who sent us requests and, hopefully, to police officer trainings in the near future. To read more about the challenge, click here, to visit our blog.
Policy Papers and Reports
SAMHSA and the National Association of State Mental Health Policy Directors (NASMHPD)
Shout out to Margaret Balfour of ConnectionsAZ.org & John Snook of the Treatment Advocacy Center for their work on the new policy paper from SAMHSA and the National Association of State Mental Health Policy Directors (NASMHPD) on police and mental health crisis response for people with behavioral health emergencies. This is the way toward police reform that is safe and effective for everyone.
National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, August 2020, “Cops, Clinicians, or Both? Collaborative Approaches to Behavioral Health Emergencies”
“As communities grapple with BH emergencies, the question isn’t whether LE should respond to BH emergencies, but rather when, how, and with what support. Both LE agencies and healthcare systems must adopt systems approaches to serving individuals in crisis that strive towards a common goal of connecting people to care in the least restrictive setting, minimizing LE involvement when possible, while ensuring the safety of the individual in crisis, care providers, and the public. Stakeholders will need to collaborate closely to ensure adequate planning, financing, accountability, data collection, and oversight. Successful solutions have the potential to improve health outcomes for individuals in crisis, improve public safety by lessening demand on police, and reduce costs across the healthcare and criminal justice systems. With growing bipartisan support for meaningful change in these complex systems, every effort should be made to seize the moment and improve the accessibility, quality, and equity of BH crisis care in our communities.
If you’d like to learn more about the work of Margaret Balfour and John Snook you can view our Zoom Cast episodes: “Mental Health vs. Mental Illness”.
The Council of State Governments: Justice Center
Another shout out to Judge Steven Leifman for his contributions to a new CSG Justice Center report on rethinking states current costly and ineffective approach on competency to stand trial.
Justice Center, October 2020, “Just and Well: Rethinking How States Approach Competency to Stand Trial”
“The competency to stand trial process is designed to protect the rights of people who do not understand the charges against them and are unable to assist in their own defense. But across the country, this process has become increasingly overburdened and delayed, causing people to languish in jail while states contend with the high associated costs. Seeking solutions to these serious challenges, the organizational co-authors of this report gathered a group of national advisors to find a way forward. This report outlines the 10 most effective strategies state officials can pursue to improve the competency to stand trial process. Its recommendations represent a consensus view of what competency to stand trial should ideally look like.”
Again, if you’d like to learn more about Judge Leifman’s work or find out more information about all of the amazing things our advocacy peers are accomplishing, check out our Zoom Cast Series 2020 Archive Page HERE.
Send Us Your Feedback! Email us at: healingmindsnola@gmail.com.
What’s Next?
- In addition to our national advocacy, and in-service trainings for Assistive Outpatient Treatment, Healing Minds NOLA is working on an Orleans Specific Data Collection Project to identify how individuals flow through various systems of crisis care; criminal justice, behavioral health, social services and family care.
- We will be conducting a mini-sequential intercept mapping refresher early next year to identify policy priorities related to diversion and deflection of people with substance use and mental illness challenges from jail including zero intercepts – programs, policies and services that prevent encounters with the criminal justice system all together!
We are also working with Louisiana Legislators on the following policy priorities:
- Increasing funding for Assistive Outpatient Treatment and language revisions to the law
- Include psychiatric deterioration, in addition to dangerousness and grave disability, as a standard for civil commitment
- Caregivers Rights
- Urge the Governor to include Serious Mental Illness in the CMS IMD Waiver for Substance Use Disorders
- Urge the Legislature to allocate funding for Secured Residential Treatment Facilities
- Amend the mental health law to allow ambulance transports for voluntary admissions.
Get Involved
Interested in volunteering with Healing Minds NOLA? Or maybe you’re interested in partnering with us to advance our shared goal of implementing a full streamlined continuum of psychiatric treatment and care? Email us at healingmindsnola@gmail.com. We want to hear from you!
My son’s life was saved by the guidance of this agency. Through Healing Minds I found the means to get my son into housing, and then file my AOT case. He is now housed, sober, on HepC meds, and registered for a class at the community college this spring! He is getting his car back and starting work within a month. Miracles have occurred! It took my tenacity, and their information to make it work…but it is working, and I will keep working it for as long as it takes, for him to become completely self sufficient. We are well on the way! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Thank you Laura, so glad to hear your son is doing well. (I love seeing him in court). AOT works!