Or detox in the tunnel.

I agree that we need to take care of our own, but hey, a tunnel seems to be the priority in this city..
Maybe people with a mental health issue can sleep in the tunnel?

Is everyone aware that Mercy Hospital has mental health facilities on their 5th floor? They also have detox facilities too....but since most of these people don't have insurance, Mercy will not consider admitting them. Therefore, they are being forced to be transferred to Madison or Oshkosh for hospitalization. I wish that Mercy would find a way to work with the county to provide services for these people. The minute Mercy finds out there is no insurance, they immediately call the Crisis workers. I guess I thought that Mercy had an obligation to the community as well??

We close the detox center because of a lack of funds....but we can find the funds to build a stinking tunnel under a road for walkers? I do believe that people in crisis is a situation that should take presedence with tax payers' money. This county better hurry up and get their act together, because I can guarentee that with General Motors just being the start of dwindling jobs, there are going to be a LOT OF PEOPLE in crisis...there aren't THAT many officers available.....

They should have figured that the situation would worsen when they closed the county detox unit. It also served as a "holding place" to assess those in a mental health crisis. P.S. Local law enforcement vocalized their fears re: closing the unit. Of course, the county board did not listen ...

Thank you, Janesvillean! Very well stated.

This isn't a tale of government inaction. This is a tale of how low a priority mental health is in American society. I don't think we have it worked out any worse than most places, but there certainly are places that do it better, even in the US.

The short version is:

Non-voluntary mental health, drug or alcohol commitments require police intervention. As such it is looked at and treated essentially the same as any arrest. The police are responsible for that persons security until turned over to a certified mental health / detox facility.
Thus, they must maintain custody of the person even during the medical clearance stage.

Why do facilities require police to sit with the patient?
Why couldn't a county appointed social/case worker do the job as well-unless of course the patient is violent or agressive or known to have a criminal background?
Unless the state requires it police shouldn't be involved.

Rockford, IL is another great example to view as a positive model to follow. Yes, there are glitches, but life has glitches.

I worked at an outpatient agency for those with mental illnesses. It was a trying job as a case manager/social worker as we worked with the ER, the state-operated facilities and all the red tape.

There is a stigma that remains in our society regarding people with mental illnesses. It is not a bad thing to be diagnosed with a mental illness. Yes, it is difficult to deal with, but kudos to those that want help. As for those that think that do not need help, that is a different story.

As a society, we owe it to our fellow man/woman/child, etc. to help them get the help they need.

I have been waiting to hear about this type of opportunity to take advantage of. Rather that being negative, would anyone like to follow me in calling up Mercy Options to ask how we can help this become possible? This type of option for fellow mankind is something that we need to be held accountable for and take charge in helping them.

Billie. I think you are being a little too cynical about this topic. The CJCC has only been in place for a year or so. They have made great strides in finding ways to reduce the jail population. That saves you and me property tax dollars.

The Mercy rep on the Council has a conflict of interest. Why is he telling the County to take care of the problem? Mercy has a Psych unit. Rather than push it on someone else, they should step up and take care of those who need help.

My guess is there is not enough profit for Mercy when it comes to treating the mentally ill. Perhaps a little competition is a good thing.

I've observed second-hand how long it takes to get help for a mental health patient. Where are the social workers in the emergency room at Mercy Hospital? Every other facility I've heard of has them on staff to assist patients. Why not have the Rock Co. workers at the Emergency rooms to process people, and find them a place to go while they wait to be medically cleared? How is it we are paying for services in this county, but NOT getting them?

Only a government committee would recognise a crisis and discuss it for 5 years till they take "a couple steps forward". Although if you think about the name of the committee long enough, the "Criminal Justice Coordinating Council System Process and Opportunities Subcommittee", it could take a year of practise to say it without stammering just so that it could be called to order. And think of all the reams of paperwork they generate since the letterhead takes up half the page.