NEW YORK (PIX11) — Lisa, a native New Yorker from the Bronx, shares her thoughts on the current state of the subway system.
Specifically, earlier this week, her train stopped on East 125th Street in East Harlem, where a 45-year-old man was thrown onto the tracks and killed.
The suspect is a man who said a relative was infected. At least two hospitalizations for mental illness.
Lisa and the other riders who met Friday are tired of what they call a revolving door in psychiatric care.
“I’m worried about being pushed. They should be admitted to a mental hospital,” Lisa said.
Mike, who lives in Manhattan, added:
Challenge?
Determine the most effective way to engage with a person in mental crisis, how long the person should receive treatment, and whether it should be done against the person’s will.
“We’re going to respect civil liberties, but ignoring an individual’s need for help is not respecting the individual,” Mayor Adams said.
On Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams announced that Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed budget includes $20 million to expand the number of Scouts (mental health collaborative response teams) from two to 10 people to prevent further tragedies. promoted its latest initiatives.
Scout teams have the power to hospitalize people against their will in crisis.
Governor Hochul also proposes adding 200 new psychiatric inpatient beds to state-run facilities.
Danu Sannessy, national director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, says there are gaping holes in the mental health safety net.
“When someone is discharged from the hospital, the discharge plan must include appropriate follow-up care, which in my opinion is lacking,” Sannessy says.
Beth Harolds, a senior staff attorney at the New York Civil Liberties Union, said the government needs to move forward with a cautious approach to care.
“Some may need long-term institutionalization and treatment. But most people don’t need it. No one can get it. So we We need to make sure our systems adequately serve people at all levels of need,” Harrol said.
Mayor Adams continues to maintain that the subway system as a whole is safe. He also defended the small number of 10 scout teams, saying they don’t have to be everywhere at once but will always respond to reports of people in severe mental health crises.
