My wife is a case manager for a mental health clinic in the county we live in. She is overloaded in her work as she has in excess of 60 cases she has to deal with each week. That means she has to see to it that those who need to go to the halfway house do so, that those who need to get back to the state hospital do so and those who need medical attention do so and those who need to be gottten out of jail-do so, and those who need to be counciled get there and those who havent had called in over a week be contacted..on and on.
In the last month, one got shot by the police-he hadnt been taking his meds at home and went over the edge. One got killed by her husband. One robbed a bank and got caught after taking the taxi back to his apartment (LOL) and a couple tried commiting suicied. Not to mention those who needed to be sent to the “unit” to get their “Tune Ups” didnt show.
She works over 12 hours a day and gets just over 32 grand a year for her job. A lot of these people should be in an managed care situtation much like old folks homes where they can come and go yet are watched so they take their happy meds or whatever...at least thats what she says. Yet the state wont cough up enough money to cover the costs of these people and they expect outfits like where my wife works to handle it for nothing.
For those of you on here that will scoff at handing out money to take care of these in a responsible way..would you let your three year old take care of him/herselves and not provide for them?
BTW. My wife has a BS in Business Administration and will quit this job ASAP as she is sick and tired of working the Chinese overtime. Thats doing overtime on salery for those of you that dont know. A PERSON WITH A DEGREE WORKING FOR a lousy 32 grand a year. But the cheap F^$#ers in this state will fall over themselves to fund a G&%dam hiking trail to nowhere for a bajillion dollars...AND HALF THE STATE IS DESERT..you can take off and walk straight cross country for the petes sake.
In the long run it is less expensive to fund asylums and get this Communtiy based mental health off the streets. The costs in police, homelessness and different street programs would be eliminated. Having the mentally ill run around homeless is expensive. Not to mention the risk for them and the general publicn.